Blame It On Bad Luck
by ErisandDysnomia
Summary: She might not be the luckiest person out there...but this is just ridiculous...!    Rated for racial slurs, swearing, violence and a diva! please check it out! Daryl/OC and some bonding with Glenn! Hiatus OVER!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note!: So, seeing as how my Boondock Saints fic is *this* close to being done, I thought that I'd start on this little endevor. See, I was watching a serious Walking Dead marathon and this little OC popped into my head, for really no other reason to screw with: Daryl, Merle, and Glenn! So, I'm going to try to keep this up with the show, but hey, you know, creative license ;] So let me know what you think! And if you have any ideas or pointers on Daryl, Merle and Glenn's characters then PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Thanks :]**

*California POV*

_I hate heights. I really, really hate heights._ I whimpered to myself as I readjusted myself on the tree branch I was perched on. I felt like a freaking bird.

A bird, who's legs were falling asleep more and more by the minute. I sighed, and straddled the branch, letting my dead legs swing. To be honest, I had very little memory of ending up in this tree.

I remember gunshots. I remember that being unusual. Unusual, because I was as a physical therapy center.

Guns? Last I checked, it wasn't a horse hospital, it wasn't like if you were deemed 'unfit to race' they put you down.

Then again, I was in Atlanta. Who knows what went down here.

And there was something terrible going on here. I think…

I wiped some sweat off my brow and groaned. How hot did it get here?

Too damn hot, because, whatever the hell those things that attacked were, they were decayed. And nasty. And made my stomach roll. That had been terrifying.

One minute I had a pretty cute doctor checking the movement of my wrist, and the next these half dead, _things _came pouring through the door, and windows. Followed by a spray of bullets, controlled by shooters who seemed to shoot, then look.

One of them had almost hit me…'Welcome to Georgia' my ass.

I had escaped, but hell, that wasn't that impressive was it? A lot of people escaped shit like that. I had gotten out with three other people, they had decided to stay in the city, but I had opted for the forest. I was from Wyoming, and the country, wild, forest. I knew that shit. But the city, no, not so much. No.

I pulled my backpack towards me, and looked at what I had to work with.

Cell phone, no reception.

iPod, lotta good that was going to do me.

A few different colored tank tops, one flannel shirt, a few pairs of shorts, deodorant, perfume, money, toothbrush and paste, stuffed platypus, and string that I used to make bracelets when I was really bored. I mean hell, I'd just gotten off the plane when I had been shuffled to the PT center.

Oh and two water bottles, and about eight bags of airplane pretzels. Not like I'm a kelpto or anything, I just…take any and all opportunities presented to me.

I pulled out one of the water bottles, and took a small drink. I wasn't sure when I was going to get a chance to fill up again, so I drank only when I was dying. I shoved it back in my bag, and pulled out a pocket knife. The only defense I had.

I sighed, and shoved that back in. I looked at my arms, and saw them have the pink glow of what was going to be a wicked sunburn. I whimpered again, wishing I had thought to grabbed some sunscreen before I had run out of the P.T. center.

_Yes Cali, that makes perfect sense. These things you've only imagined in nightmares, bust in, followed by these somewhat lethal marksmen, and the first thing in your head is, 'hey, I'd better grab some sunscreen, don't want to develop skin cancer'_ I mentally scolded myself, and tried to shimmy out of the sun, while preventing myself from falling to my death out of the tree.

How pathetic would that be? These 'Left 4 Dead' creatures start roaming the earth, and I die from a fall from a tree I didn't remember climbing up in the first place. I was impossible. Truly.

I checked my wrists, which held six or seven string bracelets, praying for a rubber band. I smirked to myself as a I pulled a black one off my wrist, I gathered up my choppy black hair, and wished I had dyed it a different color. Black attracted heat. Wasn't my concern in the dead of winter when I had first dyed it, but now, well, now it was seriously bugging me. I pulled the shoulder length hair into a knot at the base of my neck. Hopefully, that would cool me off.

My stomach grumbled, interrupting the silence of the forest. I groaned and told it to shut up.

_On a scale of 1-10, how crazy is talking to your stomach?_ I idly wondered as I ripped open a package of airplane pretzels. I munched on a few, wondering what my next move would be.

I was going to have to leave the tree sometime…I wondered how I was going to accomplish this little feat, seeing as every time I looked down, I was attacked with vertigo and my body threatened to empty itself of all food substance.

I heard a skittering sound, and saw a cute little squirrel sitting on my branch with me. I smiled at him, and he stared at me quizzically. I slowly moved my hand into my bag of food, and pulled out a single pretzel, and placed it out in front of me. The squirrel looked at me, then slowly walked towards the pretzel, I leaned back and smiled.

Hey I needed a friend. I'd been abandoned by people, maybe I'd have better luck with a squirrel.

The little fuzz ball sat right in front of me, gnawing on the pretzel. I smiled and thought about what to name him. I liked James Dean, so I was thinking Dean. That'd be cute right? We'd be Cali and Dean, and we'd fight through this strange thing together. Best friends till the-

"Holy shit!" I cried, as an arrow stabbed Dean, and he fell out of the tree. I curled my body up against the trunk of the tree, trying not to be noticed by whatever had just killed my new best friend.

"Hooo boy, little brother. Now if tha' wudden't a sweet sho' I dun' know whut is!" a voice cheerfully laughed. I risked the vertigo to look down and could make out a red faced character, with short hair laughing gleefully. He had a shot gun around his shoulder. I bit my lip. I sure as hell didn't want to piss a man with a gun, or his imaginary little brother.

"Merle, yuh wudden't know a sweet sho' if it rammed isself up yuh ass." a voice answered the red faced man, who was, apparently named Merle.

Way to go Atlanta, way to add another win to your chart.

"Well, unlike yuhself Daryl, I dun like it up th' ass." the red faced man howled. I squinted, and could make out a guy with a cross bow.

Best friend killer.

"Jus' shut th' hell up and fin' the damn squirrel." The best friend killer, or Daryl, answered, looking around the base of the tree. I bit my lip and prayed he didn't look up. That would probably be grounds to shoot me right then and there. He knelt down, obviously having found his prize. Then I heard a snort. "Hey Merle, check this ou'! This fuckin' squirrel has a pretzel in his mouth!"

"Whut?"

"A fuckin pretzel!"

"Tha' fuckin' crazy! Where th' fuck he get a pretzel?"

"Th' fuck should I know?" Daryl answered, and he started looking around. I gulped and realized that I was screwed.

Damn airline food.

Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, the best friend killer looked up, and noticed me. He raised up his crossbow, and I flinched.

"There's sumone up ther'!" he said, the red faced guy walked over to where he was, and looked up.

"Well! Looks like ya found yuhself a little bird!" he laughed and clapped his brother on shoulder, his brother only stared at me, the arrow still pointed at me. "Com'n down little bird! We ain't gonn' hurt you none."

I shook my head. Even if I trusted these two guys, I had no idea how to get down.

"Why not?" He asked.

"He's pointing a weapon at me!" I finally answered, my voice was scratchy, having gone unused for a good three days.

"Guddamnit Daryl, put tha' thing down, this is a lady." Merle sniggered. The best friend killer lowered the bow, but kept his gaze trained on me. "Now ya gunn' come down lil' bird?"

"I-I-I couldn't even if I wanted too!" I yelled down, my voice finally regaining its normal sounding frequency. The red faced man laughed.

"An' why's tha'?"

"I don't know how!"

"Ya got uh ther' didn't ya?"

"Yeah…I don't really remember how that happened!" I answered, I figured that if they wanted to kill me, they would've done it already.

Something told me, that whatever happened with those monsters, kind of made trust a given thing.

"How do ya not remember how ya got up there?"

"It's uh, it's kind of a blur. I don't remember how I got up here."

The two brother's talked amongst themselves for a few minutes. I found one of my nails between my teeth and started chomping on my nail.

How, how in God's name did I end up stuck in a tree, being circled by redneck sharks.

Bad luck, that's how.

I realized that the Great Red Necks had stopped circling my tree, in fact, the red one was gone. I looked around and saw the Best Friend Killer's bow on the ground, and him climbing up my tree.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" I called down. He looked up at me.

"Comin' to get ya."

"What?"

"Ya said ya were stuck righ'?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Well, me an my brother ain't leavin yuh for walker food." he told me as he continued to climb up the tree. "Besides, Deputy Do-good's been complainin' bout the lack a' people in camp." I reached into my bag and pulled out my pocket knife. If he tried anything, I could stab him, and maybe he'd fall backwards.

Awh, who the fuck was I kidding? I was dead. I wasn't going to be able to kill a man. I cowered against my tree trunk, and chomped harder on my nails. Finally, for better or worse, a hand gripped my branch. The hand was scarred and looked like it had been through a hell of a ringer.

When the man finally pulled himself up on the branch, I held my breath. He was bigger then I thought he was. He sighed and looked down.

"Ya got all the way up here, and yuh don't remember how?"

"I can honestly say I don't. and I don't know why I ran up a tree. I'm scared of heights." the man looked at me like I was retarded. I could only smile. I still held my pocket knife in my hand, and he took notice of it.

"Ya ain't holdin' it right." he told me. I looked at my knife.

"There, there's a way you're supposed to hold it?" he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, com'n kid, it's time ta go." he said, pointing down. I looked down and the vertigo kicked in and I gripped the bark with my shredded nails.

"Yeah, but uh, if I got down there, wouldn't I be more uh, walker food was it? Wouldn't I be more vulnerable down there?" I spun off at a thousand miles an hour. The guy looked exhausted, he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Look, we're no' as high up as ya think."

"How high up are we?"

"Dunno. Maybe twenty feet?" he answered. I squeaked.

"That's uh, 14 feet, 8 inches higher then I'm okay with." he let out a deep sigh.

"Look, I don't get back to the car, my brother's gunn' leave. So can we please go down the fuckin' tree?" I winced when he swore. He groaned, and took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm just, really really scared." I whispered. He didn't take his gaze of me.

"Was ya name?"

"Oh, it's California." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"California?"

"Yeah, I was named after the state that my mom fell in love in." I explained, for maybe the four hundredth time in my life.

"Well, that's uh, different."

"Yeah, ironic part? My mom met my dad in Wyoming." I smiled. He gave a small laugh.

"California's a mouthful."

"Most people call me Cali."

"I like Nia better." he stated. I just shrugged. Who cares what he called me?. "Alrigh' then Nia, 'M Daryl. Now, how's 'bout you and me climb down this tree?"

**So, the review button is right there, and if you could drop a line, then by all means DO IT :D and if you happen to like the Boondock Saints, well hey, give that fic a looksee too :) Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: So, I loved the feedback you guys gave for chapter one! I'm glad Cali is entertaining ;] it's what she lives for! In this chapter, we have the rest of the camp! So yay for copyright infringement! :D And if you have any suggestions on any of the characters do not hesitate to let me know, the tv show doesn't give you much to gone on with them! Season two! Come sooner!**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own the Walking Dead :) or Fer Sure by The Medic Droid!**

**Thank yous!: Thanks to Lotr3-Hp3, Fioras and Ricki101 for reviewing! :D You guys rock!**

Chapter Two!: Fer Sure Maybe, Fer Sure Not

*California*

I gripped the bark of the tree tighter. I had managed to maneuver down the tree a little, but not enough to actually you know, reach the ground.

Best Friend Killer was already on the ground, his arms crossed, and looking rather pissed off. "Git yer ass down here!"

"It's too high up!"

"It's no' even five feet!"

"Lies!"

"Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me." he ran a hand through his hair. I swung my legs from the branch I was perched on. "Look, if ya don't git down here, I'm gonn' just fuckin' pull you down!"

"I'll cry!"

"I don't give a damn!"

"Then just leave me here!"

"Temptin'…" He muttered in what he thought was under his breath. Asshole. First, he kills Dean and now he's going to pull me out of a tree.

"Sumbitch Daryl! What th' fuck takin' you so long?" The pride of Atlanta asked as he appeared from the trees. Daryl groaned and turned towards him.

"She won't com' down!" he growled. Merle howled with laughter and looked at me.

"Lil' bird's too comfortable in her tree! She doesn' like the ground little bro."

_Actually, I would much rather be on the ground. Buuuuuuuuut, I'm fine in the tree. Survived for three days in it. That had to be a record or something!_

"Lookit lil' bird," The Great Red Neck stared up towards me. "Ya don't wann' live in the tree forever right? We can take ya back tuh our camp, there's other people! Ya won't be reduced tuh talky talkin with squirrels!" He grinned up at me.

Hmmm, well, people would be nice. Squirrels weren't exactly the greatest conversationalists out there, and I had only picked up so much of the language from The Emperor's New Groove.

"AH!SHIT!FUCK!DAMN!" I cried out as I felt a hand curl around my foot and pull.

Me, my bag, and various words a young lady shouldn't be yelling accompanied me down.

Right on top of Best Friend Killer.

"Awh damnit!" He growled, my foot pressed against his face. "Git th' fuck offa me!"

"You know, you're a lot softer then you look." I grinned from where I was sprawled across his legs.

"Git off now!"

"I wouldn't be on top of you if you hadn't pulled me on top of you!" I argued back, not moving. Might as well make him suffer for doing _the exact opposite_ of what I told him to do. I felt his hands shove me off him, and I became reacquainted with grass.

I missed grass.

"Lookit, I think she's tryin' tuh snort it!" Merle laughed again. The man was always laughing it seemed. Ugh. I rolled over so that I was on my back and looked at the Great Red Neck and Best Friend Killer.

What? Were they expecting a reward? All I had was some mints, pretzels and deodorant. None of which I was planning on giving up.

Merle gave a deep snort and spat, hitting a tree a few feet away. I raised my eyebrow. Damn. Not bad aim. Daryl pulled himself off the ground and stared at me. "Ya coming or wha'?"

"Where?" I asked. Him and Merle looked at each other.

"Camp."

"Yeah, camp. With the Saintly Deputy, and alla his cronies." Merle rolled his eyes. "We're short handed. And the good deputy tol' us if we found any otha stragglers, we was supposed tuh bring them back tuh the camp. And me an' Daryl never ever break the rules!" he howled again, and clapped his brother on the back. Daryl just smirked and followed his brother out of the trees.

I stood up and grabbed my bag. I thought hard about what I should to.

A. I could take off on my own, and hope that I didn't get eaten by a walker, or whatever they had been worried about eating me.

B. I could follow them, and hope that they didn't kill me.

Both of my options seemed to end in death.

At least death by redneck sounded interesting. I didn't really have the desire to be killed by something that could, you know, eat me.

I jogged so I could reach the two of them, and fell into step behind them. They continued to talk about how stupid the other campers were, and how sick of squirrel they were.

I could only stare at the string of squirrels on Daryl's back, most specifically, Dean.

Poor Dean.

"Pick up th' pace lil' bird. I ain't gonn' wait 'round forever!" Merle cried again, I lifted my head and realized they had gotten way ahead of me.

Damn rednecks, moved like ninjas in the woods.

I gripped my bag tighter and ran up to their car. Which in all reality was a pice-o-shit clunker that was being held together with duct tape and tobacco chew. I stopped in front of the car and raised my eyebrow.

"What's wrong now?" Daryl groaned.

_You remember this California. You have to pick your battles. In life and with men. Ain't no point in arguing with a man over three things. Football, dinner and cars. You remember that!_

"Nawh. It's fine." I answered, jumping into the backseat. My grandma was right, they weren't going to take too well to a girl calling out their car.

"Fuckin' finally. It's easy." Daryl grumbled and tossed the pile of squirrels behind him, and right into my lap.

"Awh God!" I moaned and pushed Dean and his fellow unfortunate friends next to me. No way in hell would I be eating Dean.

"Git over it lil' bird." Merle sniggered from the drivers seat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little bag. He rubbed the power for a few seconds before pouring a little out on the dashboard, which he then followed with his nose. "HOOOO-WEEEEE."

Huh, the end of the world doesn't change some people I guess. I was slowly being accustomed to the idea of the end of the world. It was really the only thing that made sense. My first day in that tree, I had accepted the fact that everyone I knew was dead. I had too.

_People are great Cali, of course they are. But you are a survivor aren't you? You don't need emotional connections. That's good. One day, the world won't thrive on relationships, and when that happens it'll be your time to shine._

Fuck, I missed my crazy old grandma though. When I had gone to visit her, she got a little more senile each time, but then she would pull out this random advice that I was convinced made no sense in any context.

But, it just looked like my grandma saw this coming before any of us.

"Awh damnit Merle, ya said I wouldn't have tuh drive back!" Best Friend Killer hissed as he kicked open his door. Merle just set up another line.

_We'll stop at a stoplight, do drugs on the dashboard, look at the mess we've made tonight_ I smiled to myself as the lyrics popped into my head. Yeah, the Great Red Neck just got a theme song.

"Calm th' fuck down Daryl. Jus' have lil' bird drive." He shrugged. Daryl brought his hand up to his face.

"She dun't know where th' fuck we're goin'…"

"Oh yeah. Well, looks like yer drivin'!" Merle hopped over one seat and Daryl got into the driver seat. He was muttering as many variations of the word 'fuck' that he could think of.

We drove in silence for a while, I was just trying to figure out where I was. I could only see trees. And all the trees looked the same. How did these guys know where to go?

"Heh, pack for a trip lil' bird?" Merle laughed from the front seat. I leaned in between the two seats, and saw Merle looking through my bag.

"Hey!"

"Seriously? Ya packed shampoo and conditioner? What, you think we goin' tuh a hotel?"

"I packed for a hotel! I had been in Atlanta for maybe three hours before the-" I paused trying to find a word for them.

"Walkers." Daryl threw in from the drivers seat. He'd been a lot more talkative in the tree, now it seemed like he was going to be letting Merle run the show.

"Yeah, the Walkers attacked the Physical Therapy center I was in." I explained. "After that first session, I was supposed to check into a room. Never got to the room."

"Well, yuh'll smell a lot betta then most o' tuh campers." Merle continued to rummage through my bag. "So, whut, ya a cripple or sumtin?"

"Hardly." I rolled my eyes.

"Whut were ya getting therapy fer?" Best Friend Killer asked at the same time his brother cried "Hell yeah!"

Merle pulled out my bottle of sleeping pills. I reached for them, but he just pulled them out of my grip. "Ah, ah, ah! Whut's lil bird doin' wit sleepy pills?"

"I need them to sleep maybe?" I snapped, trying to reach for the bottle. Merle continued to play keep-away to the point where I had my knee on the center console and most of my body in the passenger seat. I was swearing, while Merle kept howling with laughter.

"GOD DAMN IT! IF YA BOTH DON'T SIT YER ASSES DOWN! I SWEAR TUH GOD I'LL KICK BOTH YER ASSES! YOU DUMB ASS MOTHER FUCKERS!" Daryl screamed at the two of us.

Me and Merle froze and stared at him. "Bitch started it."

"Asshole! I so did not!"

"SIT DOWN!"

I growled and obeyed. Merle threw the pills back into my bag, and continued to rummage through my stuff. I saw him pull out my camera, look through the pictures, grumble about the lack of nudes, then throw it back in.

I blew my bangs out of my face. Death by being eaten alive was starting to sound better and better.

"Hooooo! Lil' bird! Now these're sexy!" Merle laughed after a few minutes, and held of one of my pairs of underwear.

Oh, brilliant. I had Great Red Neck germs on my underwear. "Put those back!"

"Not 'til ya agree tuh model fer me!"

"You're a pig."

"I do have quite the pork sword if that's whut ya mean." he winked at me. I laughed.

"Your pickup truck says otherwise."

"You little bitch!" He growled. "'Sides, this here's Daryl's pickup."

"I second that 'bitch'." Daryl smirked. "I ain't overcompensatin shit!"

"Admittance is the first step to peace." I responded in a sing-song voice. Daryl grumbled to himself, something that sounded suspiciously like 'shoulda left her in th' tree.'

No Daryl, maybe you shouldn't have pulled me out of it. I would be in a much better mood if I had gotten down on my own.

Merle continued to invade my privacy, up until Daryl finally stopped the car. I snatched my bag back from them, and hopped out of the car. I was grateful they had saved my life, but never would I be riding in a car with them again.

The camp was much more extensive then I thought it was going to be. There were several tents set up, and a big ass RV. The entire population of the camp stopped to stare at the brothers and myself. A nice looking fellow approached us, a question etched on his face.

"Merle what's this?" he asked as he got closer. Merle snorted deep, then spat a wad near the guy's shoes.

"She would be a straggler. Figger that you'd want 'nother dishwasher. Although I still stand by the idea that we have too many women."

"I meant her name, Merle."

"Hmmm," Great Red Neck stopped and looked at me hard. "Don't rightly know."

"Hi. I'm right here." I waved to the man. "And my name's California."

"California?"

"You can just call me Cali."

"Right, where'd they find you Cali?"

"Up a tree." Merle sniggered. I nodded.

"And are you hurt?" The man asked again. There seemed to be another question behind his first one. _Did they hurt you?_

"No sir. Fit as a fiddle." I assured him. He finally cracked a smile.

"Well, I'm Shane." he stuck out his hand, and I shook it. "If you'd like, you can come with me, and I'll show you around." I looked back towards Merle and Daryl. Daryl was grabbing the squirrels from the car, and Merle just shrugged.

"Alright sounds good." I told him. He lead me towards the group of curious onlookers.

.:.

Shoot, there were a lot of people in this camp.

There was Dale, or, sweetest old man I've ever met. He'd shaken my hand like I was breakable and welcomed me. He told me to meet up with him later, and he'd give me some canned beans if I was up for it. Hell, anything sounded better then pretzels at this point. He owned the big ass RV.

He lived with Andrea and Amy, who were the most American looking people I'd ever seen. I mean shit, I was sure I looked almost lobster-esque, and those two were pale, pretty and perfect. Andrea seemed a little, uptight? But Amy had thrown her arms around me and told me she was glad to have another girl around.

There was a guy named Jim, who was nice enough, but gave me just enough of the chills to keep a little bit of distance there.

There was Jacqui and T-Dog. I'm not a racist myself, but…well…T-Dog? Didn't matter much I suppose, he was nice and Jacqui was model pretty. They camped near the center of everything. 'Safest place in camp!' Jacqui had smiled when I asked.

The group that shocked me the most was the Morales family. They had managed to escape, with their entire family. It was nice really, to see a family after convincing myself that the idea was nothing more then a dream. The little girl, Eliza, when I knelt down to shake her hand, she laughed at me and said I looked like Elmo.

Jeez, these people try living in a tree for three days! It's not as easy as it looked!

Lori and Carl were next, apparently Carl's dad had died in the epidemic, so Shane took them in. Shane had been the dad's best friend, so he had looked after Lori and Carl like his own. I heard it, but I wasn't buying it. There had to be some bed hopping there. They stayed in the same tent you know?

I didn't have Desperate Housewives anymore. I'd have to settle for watching these people.

I was sitting on a fallen tree, when I felt someone sit down next to me. It was an Asian kid that I hadn't met yet. "Hey! You must be the new girl huh?"

"I feel like I'm in high school again." I laughed and stuck out my hand. "Name's California."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow so high, it almost disappeared into the hat he was wearing.

"Yeah seriously." I smiled. "Go ahead and call me Cali though? Everyone else does. What's your name?"

"Glenn."

"…And you were making fun of my name?" I scoffed. Glenn gave me a half glare, half grimace as he shook my hand.

"Well, it's not like I picked it."

"I didn't pick mine either." I reminded him. "Parents suck huh?"

"Yeah." He gave me a sad little smile. "They sure do."

Awh shit. Parents had to be the most taboo topic out there. It was kind of like in elementary school, and the one kid in you glass who had lost their mom or something, so you had to tip toe over every conversation that you had. That way you wouldn't offend them.

"Sorry about that." I gave him an apologetic smile and scratched the back of my black knot of hair. He just shrugged.

"We're all in the same boat you know? Things are like that now."

"Yeah, I guess so." I sighed. "So where were you when I was being passed around like a porno?" he looked at me like I was crazy.

"Well, I was trying to figure out a way to get Shane to let me go to Atlanta to get some supplies."

"Oh dude, bad idea." I quickly told him. "That city's done and done. That's where I came from."

"Yeah, me too." He nodded. "But we need supplies. And bad." he frowned and looked at me. "How did you get here?"

"I got picked out of the trees by the Great Red Necks." I threw my thumb over my shoulder, where it looked like Merle was getting up in Morales' face. I sighed and turned back towards Glenn, who suddenly looked a little sick.

"The Dixons brought you here? The _Dixons_?"

"Yes…?"

"And they didn't try to kill you?"

"Well, one of them did pull me out of the tree, but other then that no." I furrowed my brows. "Why do you look like you're going to vomit or something?"

"Look here Cali, those two, they're bad news."

"Really?" I asked. I glanced over at them again. Well, just Merle. I didn't see Daryl.

"Merle's worthless around here."

"I could've told you that I think." I smiled at him. He shook his head.

"Look. I've been stuck with them for near a month now, and well, they're mean, racist and haven't an ounce of humanity left in them. Doubt they had any to begin with." Glenn shrugged. "Anyways, I was supposed to see if you had a place to stay, cuz if not, Amy's offering a spot in the camper. And if you're not into that, I've got room in my tent too." He gave a kind smile.

"God that sounds great!"_ Anything other then tree bark sounds great_

"And we're about to eat, so you coming?" He asked as he stood up. I told him I'd be a minute. Glenn nodded and went to rejoin the other campers.

I was having a hard time buying tickets to the 'Evil Dixons' show. They didn't seem _that_ bad. I mean, sure Daryl killed my best friend, and was feeding him to that group of people, and sure he pulled me out of a tree. But it weren't for him, I'd still be up in that tree right now. And sure Merle called me 'bitch' and looked through my bag, and did cocaine, and fondled my underwear, and almost stole my sleeping pills….

Okay well Merle sucked. But, he did tell his brother not to shoot at me.

Besides, Daryl killed a whole bunch of squirrels, way more then he and Merle could eat on their own. They couldn't be all bad right?

"Hey! Lil' bird! Git yer bitch ass over here! Me and Daryl got laundry yer gonna do!" Merle called from where the smell of meat was radiating. "An' make sure it smell good!"

Then again, I've been wrong before…

**So, once more, any suggestions on character would be *amazing*! And I didn't forget the wifebeater! He'll just show up later! Anywhichway, please review! :D I have the flu, and they honestly make me feel better!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note!: So, does anyone know where I can watch the Walking Dead? I seriously need to refresh my memory of this show, like ahora! Because we get to see a more intense side of everyone, once Rick and the crew come back! So can anyone help me out? Oh! and new game! I'm hiding lyrics in every one of the chapters, so game on! let me know what the lyrics are :D**

**Dislcaimer: I don't own TWD, or anything else :] Enjoy!**

**Thankyous!: ThisSideOrTheOther-I will make you love Merle if it kills me :D hahah thanks for the reivew wifey!**

Chapter 3: Insomnia!

*California*

"Yours?"

"Nope."

"Yours?"

"Nope."

"Yours?"

"Uh-uh." Daryl repeated for maybe the three hundredth time. I growled and stared at the pile of sleeveless shirt in front of me. I had washed _so_ much redneck attire in the week I had been with the camp. Camp Clueless as I had dubbed it, and I had been stuck doing load after load after load of their clothes.

How they got anything done without me, I had no idea. I mean, I don't think Merle understood the concept of 'soap'.

Daryl sat on a bucket, fooling around with his stupid crossbow. I crossed my legs up on his cot and stretched. Too hot. Way too hot. Georgia sucked.

I continued folding the clothes in front of me. "How is it that I have yet to come across any of yours? I've been washing since I got here!"

"I dunno? Maybe you lost all my shit?" He tossed out. I glared at him.

"I didn't lose anything."

"Well, seein as it ain't in front of ya, I'm gunn' say ya did!"

"Lies!" I defended myself. Okay, maybe it wasn't all a lie, I needed something to sleep in, and Merle was too big. I didn't think Daryl would notice…besides he killed Dean. All's fair.

And yes, I was still holding a grudge for that. Not that he knew about it.

"Don't bullshit me Nia." A smirk had molded onto his face. "Yer too easy to read fer bullshittin'."

"I am not!"

"Yeah, ya are."

"I am not easy!"

"Couldda fooled me!" Merle cackled walking into Daryl's tent. Daryl sniggered, and I knew that meant he was going to shut up. Daryl never talked to me much when Merle was around. Kind of like when we were stuck in the tree that first day. Merle yawned and looked at my neat little piles. "Womanly duties?"

"You sir, are an ass."

"Ass? Hardly." He snorted. "Ya should jus' be happy that we even picked ya up! Too many woman at camp's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" I rolled my eyes. "How are me and Amy dangerous?"

"Ya women spend a full week'a every month _bleeding_." He spat the word. "And wit' alla you in th' same place, how long b'fer the geeks smell ya?" He looked to his brother for back up, but the subject looked like it was making BFK a little ill. He just looked down at his crossbow.

"Okay…one: Ewww, Merle that's disgusting! Two: we're not bleeding profusely…it's barely any blood. Not enough to attract a heard of geeks." I rolled my eyes at the stupid man, yet again.

"Yeah well, fact's a fact!" He snorted. "Daryl, where's muh' gun?"

"Th' fuck ya need the gun fer?"

"I'm goin wit' th' nigga', th' Nazi bitch, and the chink ta Atlanta." He responded. Daryl raised his eyebrow, and my heart stopped.

_Okay so, nigga has to be either Jacqui or T-Dog. Probably T-Dog. Nazi bitch? Like figuratively or literally? Figuratively, I'd have to say Lori. For sure. But literally, either Amy or Andrea. And since there's no way in hell Andrea would let Amy go, it would have to be Andrea. And the chink…_

"Glenn's going?" I asked, my voice raising a little. The Great Red Necks stared at me.

"Yup." Merle nodded. "Ya little boyfriend's leadin' th' way. 'Pparently, he knows the town like the back of his hand."

"Oh no he's not." I bit my lip and jump off of Daryl's bed, and out the tent flap. I stormed over to Glenn's tent, where I had bunkered down. Dale hadn't had enough room, and that was alright with me. I wasn't against sleeping on the ground so Glenn had taken me in. I busted in, causing my Asian Amigo to jump a foot into the air. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" I asked, crossing my arms.

Glenn rolled his eyes and pointed towards the piece of notebook paper we had pinned to the wall of our tent. "Rule three."

Oh yes, our roommate rules.

They were, as follows:

Rule one: Roommates can look, but can't touch, unless sufficient amount of alcohol is provided.

Rule two: No small penis jokes. Leave the Asian alone.

Rule three: There will be no yelling inside the tent. It's small and causes headaches.

Rule four: The tampons aren't going anywhere, stop bitching about them.

Rule five: Rules are subject to change when the roommate see fit.

Rule six: If insomnia kicks in, deal with it OUTSIDE of the tent. Because ONE of us is on patrol. And that means that person needs SLEEP!

"I think this is an exception!"

"Nope." Glenn grinned at me. "No yelling!"

"Then explain to me, why you're going back to Atlanta!"

"Supplies?"

"Is it really worth taking all those people?"

"Hey, I didn't want to take any of them! But Shane said if I was going, I wasn't going alone. Then they all volunteered. What was I supposed to do?"

"Say no?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Great suggestion Cali, I hadn't thought to say no. Gee, where were you ten minutes ago?"

"Folding pair after pair of redneck boxers." I shuddered. Glenn just stared at me. I was freakishly good at making the Asian man speechless.

"Gotta say, that sounds way worse then dealing with Shane in one of his moods."

"Awh, who pissed on his pop tarts this morning?"

"Who else?" Glenn smirked at me. "Merle. Shane's making him go with us, because he just doesn't want him hanging around anymore."

"Seriously? Come one! He's not _that _bad." I defended him. Glenn just gave me another look.

"No, he's pretty bad. He's all jacked up, all the freakin' time. I just don't get why he can't sit down and shut up."

_Cocaine. Vast amounts of cocaine._ I thought. "I don't know."

"Well, I hope he gets it under control. I'm not exactly looking foreword to having to deal with him." Glenn sighed, and pulled his hat off, running his hand through his black hair. I knelt down to where my bag was stashed, and pulled out a pen. I snatched the Roommate Rules off the wall and scrawled something else onto it.

"Rule seven: Whenever a roommate leaves the tent, they have to promise to come back to the tent." I read aloud, and handed it to Glenn. "Sign it."

"Cali-"

"Sign it Glenn!" I ordered him. He nodded and took the pen from me. I stood up and turned around so he could write on my back. He finished, then handed me the pen.

"You have to sign it too." He smiled. I scoffed.

"It doesn't look like I'll ever be leaving Camp Clueless. You don't have to worry about me."

"You spend half your time with the Dixons. I worry about you." he responded, and turned around so I could use his back. I sighed and scrawled my name at the bottom of the paper. He smiled, satisfied, and pinned the paper back up. "See, now neither of us need to worry."

"You're going up against Geeks…"

"And you're going to be stuck with a paranoid Jacqui, scared stiff Amy…and well, whatever Daryl does when he's hiding away from everyone else."

"He just chills. I guess." huh, what did Daryl do? Sit in his room and brood? Socially awkward, that one.

"Yeah well, watch out either way." Glenn reaffirmed and grabbed his bag off the floor. I nodded and followed him towards the center of camp. Andrea and T-Dog were already there, and Merle was on his way, sniffing rapidly.

Dear God, Merle was a dead man.

"Let's fuckin' go!" Merle cried, sauntering over towards the van. Andrea gave Amy a hug, and followed Merle. T-Dog pressed a kiss against Jacqui's head and he joined the crew of the scavengers. I grabbed Glenn's wrist so he was facing me.

"Please be careful!"

"Of course." He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Be back before you know it."

"I expect you back ten minutes before you get here." I squeezed. "Oh and Glenn, if you happen to come across some like, Tylenol PM or something, could you bring it back? I ran out a few nights ago."

"A few nights-" He gaped at me. "Christ, yeah. I'll get you some Cali, no problem."

"Thanks." I smiled and pressed my lips against his cheek. "See you soon."

"Yes you will."

"Hey! Chink Chink Chinaman! Hurry th' fuck up!" Merle yelled from the cargo van they were piled into. Glenn growled and turned towards the car. However, he didn't try and get into Merle's face. But then again, they seldom do. Merle's kind of intimidating.

I stood next to Amy and waved goodbye. She sighed and turned towards me. "What are they doing?"

"Well, there's some stuff, that we just can't do without." I answered.

"Like what? What is so important?" she asked. I wasn't sure if I could give her an answer. Glenn hadn't said what they were going to get, but it must be important if he made the petition for the trip anyways.

"I couldn't tell you Amy. I really don't know." I finally answered as the van trailed out of our line of sight.

"Well, might as well do something." She said after a few minutes. I smiled at her, I liked this blonde girl, even though she was my polar opposite. She had white blonde hair, I had my black. She had her wide blue eyes, I had brown. She was pale, and my burn had gradually faded into a nice tan.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's hot today."

"Today? It's hotter then the devil's whore _everyday_." I informed her quickly. She rolled her eyes.

"You are so obviously not a blue-blooded Georgian."

"Blue blood? I'll buy blue collared."

"Wow bitch." Amy laughed. "I was going to see if you wanted to go swimming, but now, I might just ask someone else." she lifted her nose in the air.

"Who are you going to ask? Lori?" I snorted. "Come on Amy be real, no one here takes us seriously!"

"You've noticed that too?"

"We're walker bait."

"Who said that?"

"Three guesses." I winked at her.

"Hmmm, Merle?"

"Ding Ding Ding!" I cried, and grabbed her hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

.:.

Night is the worst for me. It always has been.

Sleep had been fighting me for years, back when I was like ten I'd stopped sleeping. For some reason, every time my head hit the pillow, my mind went into overdrive and I wouldn't be able to grasp sleep. I'd been on sleeping pills for a few years now, and they were the only way I'd managed to sleep since.

I'd been stuck in that tree, and I hadn't slept for those three days. I'd had nothing to do but think. It had been a hell, where I had slowly come to terms with the idea that everyone had dead.

Family-dead.

Friends-dead.

Boyfriend-dead.

Town-dead.

Everyone I had ever cared about-dead.

The shock that everyone in Camp Clueless seemed to be in, I had already gone through. Just a whole lot faster. Alone in that tree, I had denied the truth, I had cried, I had broken down God knows how many times.

After the pain, came the numb. The disbelief that this could truly be the end of the world is enough to knock anyone on their ass. It just couldn't happen right? It was a bad dream? It wasn't real. A nightmare.

But I couldn't sleep, it couldn't be a nightmare.

That third day, I had been ready for death. I was going to die, either by heat stroke, or just death of willingness to die. I thought I hadn't wanted to keep going.

Then Best Friend Killer and the Pride of Atlanta had swooped out of nowhere, and pulled me out of that tree, and back towards survival. If there were others out there, then I wasn't as alone as I had thought.

I was allowed to live.

I was allowed to want to live.

"Shit." I groaned as I tossed and turned for the umpteenth time that night. There was no use. I would not be sleeping tonight. I sat up and reached for a pair of shorts, which I pulled on under the shirt I had stole from Daryl.

I silently unzipped the tent, and made my way toward the center of the camp, where the fire usually was. It had dimmed down to almost a slight glow, which told me that whoever was on patrol, had just left on their run. If you're the one on patrol, then you're supposed to add half a log so the fire never really runs out through the night.

I sat down next to the fire, and pulled out the string to make the blue, white and pink bracelet I had been making for Amy. If I wasn't going to sleep, I was at least going to be productive. It wasn't long before the movements became mechanical, and I was able to go on auto pilot. _Twist, twist, tie. Twist, twist, tie. Twist, twist-_

"Th' fuck are ya doin?"

"Holy shit!" I cried and jumped. I whirled around, and saw Daryl standing behind me, staring at me like I was just the most retarded thing he'd ever seen. "Don't do that!"

"Do whut? Walk?"

"Ugh you know what I meant!"

"Yeah, maybe ya should be more focused in whut's goin' on 'round you." he shrugged. "Whut are ya doin'?"

"Making a bracelet."

"Well, I had actually gathered tha'." He rolled his eyes. "I meant, why are ya doin' tha' out here? At four in th' morning?"

"Oh! Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope."

"So you came out here, tuh make a bracelet?"

"Yup."

"Yer so fuckin' weird Nia." He shook his head, then did a double take. "Hey! That's mah fuckin' shirt!"

"Oh yeah, I found it." I grinned up at him. He growled. "Pop a squat Daryl, might as well." Daryl thought for a few minutes, before he sat down next to me. "So what are you doing up at four?"

"Goin' huntin'."

"You're leaving too?"

"Yup."

"Oh." I mumbled. I wasn't exactly excited about the fact that every single one of the people I cared about in this camp had just decided to head off.

"We need the meat." He tossed out. I nodded. He sighed, and stared at me. "Why you look like sumone kicked yer puppy?"

"Everyone left." I answered.

"They comin' back."

"No." I whispered. "They're not."

"Th' fuck you talkin' bout?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing really." I gave him a smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you talk to anyone?" Daryl raised his eyebrow.

"Dunno. They don' really talk tuh me." he answered. I chewed the inside of my cheek. Well, that was the truth if I ever heard it. No one really bothered trying to talk to him.

"I see."

"Can I ask ya a question?"

"Sure thing."

"Why can't ya sleep?"

"I ran out of pills." I smiled at him. "I'm an insomniac, you know? Can't sleep." I rubbed my eyes. "It sucks ass man."

"Yeah, I'll bet." he shook his head. "Look, ya should try tuh get some sleep anyways."

"What part of insomniac is confusing you? I-N-S-O-M-N-I-A can't sleep"

"Com'n." He muttered and pulled me up with him. He dragged me towards Glenn's tent. I frowned.

"Just throwing me in there isn't going to work."

"Jus' com'n."

"But Daryl-" I whined. He groaned, but continued to pull me towards the tent. Once we were there, he pointed toward my sleeping back.

"Lay down." I glared at him, but complied. He sat down across from me. "Alrigh', here. Try this. Tell me whut ya did t'day. Backwards."

"Backwards?"

"Yeah. Do it."

"Uh, alright. Let's see." I closed my eyes. "Got in bed. Got pulled here. Talked to you. Made a bracelet. Uh." I screwed my eyes shut tighter. My mind was going foggy. "Took a shower. Helped Amy make dinner." I yawned. Holy shit, this was really working. "Went swimming." I heard Daryl grunt a laugh.

"'Nigh Nia." I felt his hand ruffle my hair. "Sweet dreams."

"Hey Daryl,"

"Yup?"

"Thanks."

"Don' mention it kid." he answered. I heard the tent zip. "I'll see ya soon."

**So Daryl's little trick is the on I've used to get over my own sleepy issuses when I run out of pills :D So please review! And seriously, if you have pointers, do *not* hesistate to share! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note!: Yay! Walking Dead marathon! So here you go! Mr. Rick Big Shot comes into camp, and you get to see a side of Cali she really hasn't shown yet, not to mention a new episode of Walker Housewives! So enjoy! Thanks for the reviews and the favorites! i love them :DD**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own the walking dead, but if i did, there would be some *serious* humor additions!**

**Thanks yous!: Thanks to ThisSideOrTheOther, Constanlylost and poplar-kat for the reviews! and a suuuuuuuuuuuuper special thanks to Rickii101 for getting me a website to watch the walking dead, and for helping me with my BDS st paddy's day one shot! :D**

**Spot the lyrics!**

*California*

You know what gets old quick? Camp Clueless, when all my friends are gone. Glenn had been gone for three days, which lead the rest of the camp into constant hysteria. Amy in particular, couldn't be flipping out more, and Shane's whole 'Lawl they're dead' attitude wasn't helping at all.

So my new job at camp was to watch the kids, and keep Amy from breaking down. Both were exceedingly difficult.

"Carl, you aren't tall enough to play in that field! I can't see you!" I yelled from where I sat on top of a rock, so that I could see him, Sophia, and Eliza. Her brother opted to stay closer to his Momma. Which was fine with me, I was terrified enough with the three of them, who know when a walker would up and show?

'Never, the woods are safe' Shane would whine on and on, and Lori, like any good bitch, would agree with him.

Girls are girls, end of the world or not.

"Awh com'n Cali! Nothing to do out of the field!"

"Find something!" I called back, smile on my face. That boy was four feet, ten inches of sass. And I loved him.

My love fest was cut short when I heard something in the bushes. I tensed. I didn't want to scare the kids, God knows the last thing we needed was more hysteria in the camp. I slowly jumped off my rock, and grabbed the bat Glenn had left me. _Fuck if a walker was going to get near me._ I had decided that the minute I saw them.

I clenched the bat tighter, and walked towards the bushes. I walked into them, hoping and praying that it wasn't a walker.

Let it be a bunny. I like bunnies.

"The hell you lookin' for?" A rather large guy with a cigarette in his mouth bitched, straight up bitched, at me. Where the hell did he get a cig! Christ, not the first thing I'd grab if I was being chased by carnivorous monsters. I set my jaw.

"This isn't really the time and place to be sneaking around in bushes my friend." I told him. "Especially not when I've been given charge of the kids of the camp. I'd thank you kindly to leave us alone."

"Don't you talk to me like that bitch." He narrowed his eyes. "Besides. Sophia is my daughter. I was just checking on her."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to have Carol verify that if you don't mind." I smiled. Being called 'bitch' didn't even register. "You know, babysitting 101."

"I want my daughter."

"Great, have Carol come and clear you, and you can have your daughter."

"Give me my girl!"

"Sir, I haven't seen you around camp before, so you can understand if I'm a little hesitant to hand over a child that's been put in my care." I started to leave the bushes, and get back towards the kids I was watching, when he grabbed my arm.

He had an iron grip, one that was sure to leave bruises, even on my tanned skin. I tried to pull away, but he only held tighter. "A girl is not going to talk to me like that."

"You wanna scene? Fine. Let's have it then. You don't let go, I yell walker. Let's see how people like that." I snarled. Sure, resorting to 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' status was a bad idea, but hell, he was scaring the hell out of me. His face actually turned purple, and he threw me on the ground, then walked away. There's always a nut.

Cursing, I walked back out towards the kids, and was relieved to find them all where I had left them. In the boring place, that wasn't the field. "Come on guys!" I called. "Let's go back to camp!" they just nodded and followed me back towards the circle of tents, and the big ass RV, or Megatron, if you're so inclined to call it that.

"Carl! Get over here!" Lori called. "Gonna cut your hair!"

"Awh come on!" Carl moaned, but like a good southern boy, when to Momma. Then Sophia and Eliza went their own ways, and I was left alone. So, I went to check on my other responsibility.

"Hey Amy, how're you." I asked as I sat down next to her. She shrugged.

"Think they'll come back today?"

"Could be. Figure it'll be soon. There's only so much Glenn can stuff into that van." I smiled. She gave me a small smile back, when an annoying as hell sound started to echo through the woods. I winced. _Car alarm? The hell?_ Amy shot out of her seat like a bat out of hell.

"Dale! Is it them?" she called up to the elderly man, who was, as usual, sitting post on Megatron.

"Well, I'll be damned." he answered her.

"Is it them?"

"Stolen car'd be my guess." by this time, the noise had attracted a crowed, myself included. We gathered at the bottom of Dale like a flock of sheep to a shepherd.

The purr of an engine slowly moved closer, and it wasn't long before the blaring noise came into view as one _hot_ looking car.

I won't lie, my first thought was movie star! Hell, maybe Robert Downey Jr, or Sean Patrick Flanery, or some other famous person with three names was going to be joining camp. The car rolled up quick, and hit the breaks. The door busted open-

"Glenn!" I cried, running towards my Asian Amigo, as Dale screamed. "Holy crap! Turn that damn thing off!"

"I don't know how!" he replied, opening his arms to hug me. He had a very wide smile on his face. That boy loved that car.

Well, I think I had just lost my best friend spot.

Instantly, he was flooded with questions and commands.

'Is Andrea okay?'

'Pop the hood!'

'Where are the rest?'

'Andrea!'

Shit, I was getting a headache just listening to it.

Glenn leaned into the car to pop the hood, and Amy knocked me on my ass, she flew by me so fast. "My sister, is she okay? Is she alive? Did she make it out of the city? Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Glenn finally cried. "She's okay!"

"Is she coming back? Why isn't she with you? She's okay?" Amy asked about the same time Shane finally got the sexy car to shut up. I pulled myself off the ground.

"Hey, Cali you okay? Oh yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." I muttered to myself.

"Yes, she's fine. She's okay. Everybody is." he spoke softer now. "Well, Merle, not so much."

Ice flooded my system when he said that. I grabbed his arm. "What happened to Merle!"

However, because in Camp Clueless, Shane is God, he took Glenn's attention. "You crazy driving this thing here? You wanna attract every walker for miles?"

"Hey Glenn, about Merle-" I tried again.

"I think we're okay." Dale cut in. I growled.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane spat. Glenn winced, and I kind of wanted to bitch slap Shane. It wasn't Shane who just _risked his life_ to feed everyone else, so he really should shut the hell up.

"That alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source." Dale responded calmly. I had to give him respect for that. He was always calm. Shane turned to give him the 'holier-then-thou' stare. "I'm not arguing, I'm just saying! It wouldn't hurt you to think thing through a little more carefully next time would it?" Everyone turned on Glenn. He just held up his hands.

"Sorry." he sighed, then looked at the hotrod. "Gotta cool car." everyone rolled their eyes. Except Dale, who just nodded. I liked Dale.

Another engine took the place of the silence that had settled on the camp, and I was grateful, I grabbed Glenn's arm once more. "What happened to Merle?"

Glenn swallowed. "Is Daryl here?"

"No, he's still hunting, which is why you need to tell me what happened!"

I leaned against the car with Glenn, and watched as everyone who left, came back. Except of course, Merle.

"Where is he Glenn!"

"He's uh, kind of, handcuffed to a pipe on top of a roof. In Atlanta." He answered, looking at everything but me.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

"No, but look, alright? Merle went nuts. Called T-Dog a nigger, and started beating on him, and shit. There was cocaine with him. He was attacking us, if he hadn't handcuffed him, then who knows what would've happened."

"Where did you get handcuffs?"

"The new guy." he pointed to where a man I had never seen before was on the ground, Carl in his arms. Lori only stared at him like she had seen a ghost.

Oh hot damn, Walker Housewives just got a hell of a lot better.

"He's a cop." Glenn added. I stared at the lawman. He left Merle to die on a roof? Or worse, was Merle walker bait? I slid my thumbnail into my mouth and started chomping. Glenn nudged me. "How mad do you think he'll be?"

"You better pray to God that he gets tired before he reaches you." I answered honestly. Glenn gulped.

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

I did smile and hug him again, because hell, my roommate came back. I had missed the hell out of that boy. When I pulled away, he gave me an apologetic smile. "I uh, don't have your pills. Merle was actually the one who found them, and he held on to them."

So the man that they had tied to the roof, risked his own neck twice now, to do something for me. He helped save me, then he took the time to riffle through some old lady's purse until he found pills for me.

_Good job Lawman, you killed a good person_. I thought as I stared at him and his family. _You better hope Daryl doesn't get back soon._

But hell, what do we know about us? Bad luck.

.:.

That night we all had a big party for Lawman. We all wanted to hear his story.

And by we, I meant everyone but me. I didn't really give a flying fuck what his story was. He did wrong by me the second he left the Pride of Atlanta to die. I was sitting next to Glenn, in a circle with everyone. (except Carol and her dickface husband and Sophia) the Lawman just went on and on about what he'd been though.

My favorite part, however, was when Lawman thanked Shane for looking out for his family. And how _grateful_ he was to him.

_Boy, you'll be eatin' those words, soon enough._

"Hey Ed," Shane called over to the segregated circle as the light from their fire burned. "Wanna rethink that log?"

Well, Ed and Shane are matched in sass, but apparently Shane is the one with the balls. He got Ed to lower the fire. Well, he got Ed to bitch at Carol to pull the log out.

I didn't like Ed. Nor did I like the nasty purple marks he left on my arm.

Once Shane had settled back down in the circle, Dale leaned foreword. "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?"

"Obviously not." I muttered. Lawman raised his eyebrow at me, but I only stared at him.

"He won't be happy to hear that his brother was left behind." Dale continued.

"I'll tell him." T-Dog nodded. "I dropped the key, it's on me."

"I cuffed him. That makes him mine." Lawman argued.

"It's not a competition, and I don't mean to bring race into it, but it might sound better coming from the white guy." Glenn looked over at T-Dog as he said this. I just stared into the fire.

_All that talk about retaining humanity, and this is allowed? _

T-Dog continued his confession. But he was guilty, they all were. And in the Church of Dixon, penance is hell. That much is sure.

"We could lie." Amy threw out there. The idea sickened me. No way. I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Or tell the truth. Merle was out of control. Something had to be done, or he would've gotten us killed. Your husband did what he had to. And if Merle got left behind, it was nobody's fault, but Merle's."

I hadn't even realized that I was reforming a fist over and over in my right hand. Who the hell were these people to be judge and jury? Merle was an asshole, there was no denying that, but he wasn't the damned Antichrist! People just like having someone to hate, and Merle fit that description to a T, sure, but he didn't deserve what they did to him.

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale asked skeptically. "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise, we're going to have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-Dog sighed.

"We were all scared. We all ran." Andrea agreed. "What's your point?"

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. That hallways narrow. What? Maybe half a dozen geeks? That's not enough power to get through that door and that padlock."

"What's your point?"

"Dixon's alive. And he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof." he stood up. "That's on us."

"It's all on you." I hissed and stood up. Lawman stared at me.

"What's your name?"

"California." Lawman only nodded, he didn't question it.

"What's this bother you California."

"I'm not a fan of hypocrisy, or murder. Especially not by cops." I nodded at him. "But remember, you're talking about a human. A living, breathing, _human._ He ain't no walker. So when you talk about him, try and understand that he's means something to someone. Hell yeah you're going to have your hands full when Daryl gets back, and I hope you have something better to tell him, because that cock and bull story you gave me, well that's not going to cut is sir, not even close."

"You friends with the Dixons?'

"They're the _only_ reason I'm not half eaten and stumbling around right now." I answered and walked towards my tent. I couldn't handle it. Not anymore.

I flopped down on my sleeping bag, and pulled my shoes off. Glenn came in a few minutes later, with his trademark wounded puppy look.

"What?"

"Don't get mad at Rick, he did what he thought was best."

"Sure I understand the detaining. I don't understand the 'leaving for dead' part." I answered as I pulled off my tank top, and pulled on the freshly washed shirt I stole from Daryl. I slipped my shorts off, and sat on my nylon bed.

"We didn't mean to leave him."

"If Merle had come back, and you hadn't, and he told me that they didn't mean to leave you, it wouldn't make it any easier. They would've still left you. On purpose or not. Pain is pain."

Glenn sighed, and pulled off his hat, and ran his hand back though his hair. "This is not going to be good."

I laid down, and scoffed. "You can thank the Lawman for that, now can't you?" I closed my eyes and started to go through what I did today backwards. Hoping maybe to catch a few hours of sleep.

.:.

The next morning, I woke up to screaming. I flew up, limbs flailing, and head groggy. _Shit! Screaming bad! Scream bad!_ I shook my head, trying to clear it as I made a dash for the tent flap. Glenn was already up, so I ran towards the center of the camp, Carl and Sophia ran from an area that most of the campers had flocked too. I jogged towards them, and took a stand next to Amy.

"Holy hell," I whispered. A walker was eating a deer…I was in shock for a few seconds. I hadn't seen a walker since when I had been in the Physical Therapy center, and that had been a good month ago. Everyone was just sort of staring at it.

Until it turned to attack that is.

Christ, it was a like one of those old gangster movies, where they take a whole ten minutes to show a violent beat down on the poor fool that sold them out. They had rods, axes, gun butts, and of course, Glenn with the bat.

Finally, Dale cut it's head off with an ax.

My stomach jitterbugged, but it had a severe lack of food in it, to my advantage this time.

"This is the first one we've had up here." Dale panted, breathless. "They never come this far up the mountain."

"They're runnin' out of food in the city, that's what." Jim answered. Then men just sort of stared in shock at what they had accomplished, while Andrea, Amy and I were the only campers who'd come close enough to see.

Of course, there were more noises. And that made sense didn't it? These things traveled in packs. They're were always more. Right?

The macho men tensed up, their various weapons at the ready. Andrea pushed me and Amy back a little, but we pushed foreword. We weren't kids, we needed to see these creatures. To understand.

"Son of a bitch!" came from where I expected a walker to be growling. My head perked up, oh hell! Best Friend Killer was back! "That's my deer! Awh Jesus, look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, disease bearin' motherless, bastard!" He growled, and kicked the decapitated body with each insult.

He was back!

Oh shit, he was back…

"Calm down son, that's not helping." Dale told him.

"What do ya know about it ol' man? Ya take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond." Daryl spat back.

_Well, he's in a great mood._

"Been trackin' this deer for miles," he sighed, pulling out his arrows. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." he stared at the deer for a few minutes. "Ya think we can jus' cut 'round tha' part?"

"Man I will not risk that." Shane sighed.

"That's a damn shame. Well I got us some squirrel, 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have tuh do."

The head of the walker decided to throw in it's two cents, against the wishes of my stomach. It's jaw opened and closed several times and it made gagging noises.

Or maybe that was me.

"Oh God." Amy moaned.

The macho men jumped back, out of shock.

"Come on people, what the hell?" Daryl sighed as he lifted his bow, and took aim. He shoot straight through the eye, then walked over to pull out his arrow. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't ya'll know nothin'?" he asked as he walked past the macho men.

You know that guy who's way to prepared for something? Best Friend Killer, for the win.

He walked by me, and shot me a wink as he headed into camp. I turned to follow him. The Machos followed us from behind.

"Merle! MERLE!" BFK called. "Git yer ugly ass out here! Got us some squirrel! Stew 'em up!"

"Daryl? Slow up a bit, I need to talk to you." Shane called out to him. I leaned against Glenn's pretty car. _Round one. Ding ding._

"'Bout whu'?"

_Hey God, I think it's funny you've been quiet for so long, but I really need you to speak up here. We're about to have a huge mess on our hands. _I silently prayed as Shane walked to catch up to Daryl.

This wasn't going to be pretty…

**longest chapter yet! yes! So, please leave a review! i do so love getting them! Duces!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note!: Holy unbelieviblity Batman! 21 reviews for only four chapters! *Head explodes* ya'll are the greatest readers out there! :DDDD Thanks for all the adds, and reviews and favorites! I'm glad *most* of you guys like this :DD because I sure love writing it! So here you go, the next addition to the saga of normalcy that is Cali's life!**

**Oh! And thanks to everyone who's complimented Cali's name :]**

**Disclaimer!: I do not own TWD :] kinda wish i did though!**

*Cali*

Shane jogged to catch up with Daryl, and Glenn slid over next to me. I glanced at him, and saw him sigh deeply at his car before turning his attention back towards the storm that was brewing.

"They strip it?"

"All of it."

"Damn," I clapped his shoulder. "Don't you worry none. There's entire dealerships of cars just waiting for you to steal them." I assured him. He smiled, then held a finger to his lips, indicating the inevitable cat fight.

"About Merle," Shane sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "There was a problem in Atlanta." Daryl looked around now, and realized that the entire camp had crawled out of the woodwork to watch the show. Chewing on my lip, I eyed the hunter as he became increasingly more on edge. He was ready for a something. Might not know what, but it was coming.

"He dead?"

"Not sure."

"Either he is, or he ain't!" Daryl looked a little more then annoyed by Shane's game. I held my breath. Shane sighed, and Lawman stood up now.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

"Who are ya?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes?" He mocked "Ya got somethin' you wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was out of control. He was a danger to us all. So I left him on a roof, handcuffed to a piece of metal." Lawman sighed. "He's still there."

Wow. Way to rip the bandage right off with that one. I had sort of expected him to ease into the explanation, but, well, guess not.

"Oh." Daryl moaned, then quickly swiped his hand across his eyes. "Let me _process_ this." he turned towards Rick, fire in his eyes. "Yer sayin' you handcuffed my brother to a roof, and then you _left_ him there?"

"Yeah." Rick bowed his head.

Pretty sure that was rhetorical, answering probably just pissed Daryl off more. Daryl stood there for a few minutes, then he tossed the line of squirrels at Rick, and charged. Rick jumped back, and Shane tackled Daryl. T-Dog ran over to lend assistance, and I took a step foreword.

"Let them work it out." Glenn said, grabbing my arm. I winced, as he grabbed the same place Ed had, but I fell against the car once more. Glenn was probably right.

Besides, they were full grown men, and I wasn't exactly the most endowed with the physical strength.

There was a metallic sound as Daryl pulled a knife. I heard someone yell 'watch for it' as Daryl went back towards Lawman. Shane and the Lawman worked in perfect sync, while Shane pulled Daryl into a chokehold, and Lawman grabbed the knife.

"Hey!" I called before I realized I had done it. Glenn held onto me again. "What the hell is this doing!"

"Shut up!" Amy told me as she walked over. "Don't piss him off even more."

I just glared as the entire camp watched. Hypocrites, all of them. If it had been _anyone_ but the Dixons, there would be some resistance to watching this. But, because it was Daryl, because it was a relative of Merle, it was okay.

It wasn't fucking okay at all! Those bastards would regret this, let me tell you.

Karma has the underdog's back, always.

"Best let me go!" Daryl growled as he was brought to the ground.

"I think it's better it I don't."

"Chokeholdin's illegal!"

_Yeah, so it kidnapping, and murder. Not the best listeners, those cops._ I thought to myself as Glenn's grip tightened, I hadn't even realized that I had been moving closer to the scene in the center again.

"File a complaint." Shane answered against Daryl's struggling. Lawman knelt down in front of them.

"Come on man, we can keep this up all day." Rick sighed. "I'd like to have a calm, rational discussion. Do you think we can handle that?"

"Fuck ya." Daryl growled.

"Do you think we could manage that!" Rick asked again, little bit more menacingly. He nodded at Shane, who let Daryl go.

Daryl pushed himself up on his hands, breathing hard. Rick got back into his face. Hell, if Daryl hits him, it's Rick's own damn fault.

"Now what I did was not on a whim, your brother does not work and play well with others!"

"It's not Rick's fault." T-Dog finally spoke up. "I had the key. I dropped it."

"Ya couldn't pick it up!" Daryl's voice wasn't as angry as it had been, it was a little more hurt now.

"Well…I dropped it in a drain."

Daryl made a choking sound, and bent over. He pushed himself up, and walked past T-Dog. "That's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Maybe this will, look I chained the roof to the door shut so the geeks couldn't get at them. With a padlock."

"That's got to count for something." Rick inserted himself back into the conversation. Daryl sniffed and rubbed his eyes again.

"Hell wit' all ya'll!" He growled. "Jus' tell me where he is, so's I can go get him."

"He'll show you." Lori spoke, from where she was standing. "Isn't that right?"

Oh hell, that was the _wife _tone if I ever heard it. I was surprised, to say the least. Out of everyone in the camp, I would never have expected Lori to be the one who agreed with me, at least on this matter. A wave a guilt crashed over me. Maybe I had judged her a little too harshly.

"I'm going back." Rick said, after glancing around the crowd that had gathered. Lori walked back into the camper.

Hot damn, Walker Housewives just had a plot twist!

_I almost wonder if anything I've made up about their lives is true. I mean, I just miss TV_ I thought to myself as my hypothetical plot thickened.

Daryl pushed by Rick, and grabbed his bow, and stalked off. I watched him walk away, and decided to give him a few minutes before I followed him.

"Be right back." I told Glenn as I left. Glenn reached for me once more.

"You see how mad he is?"

"You see how sad he is?" I countered. "Someone needs to check on him. And I'm 98% sure the whole 'hell with all ya'll' didn't apply to me. I'm too damn cute." I smirked and pulled out of Glenn's grip, and followed Daryl.

"He's unstable!" Amy added.

"What if it were Andrea, you would be heartbroken. You think he isn't? Merle is all he's got left!" I responded, trying to invoke some more humanity out of these people. Merle is human, just like the rest of us, and our mentality has to be 'living vs. dead'. It had too.

Jogging slightly, I pushed towards Daryl's tent, trying to figure out how to go about this, and trying to figure out where it would hurt less to be shot with an arrow. Finally, I found the secluded area where he and Merle had set up camp, and reached down to grab a rock. My cousins had spent every day of the summer teaching me how to skip rocks when we were kids. If there was one thing I was good at, it was handling rocks. With a quick timed wrist flick, my pebble went sailing against his tent entrance.

"Fuck off."

"Well, that's not very nice." I responded. There wasn't an answer. "Might as well give me permission. I'm coming in anyways."

"Wuht parta 'fuck off' confuses ya?"

"What part of 'coming in anyways' confuses you?" I asked him as I walked in. He glared at me but it didn't stop me from sitting down next to him. "I'm sure he's okay."

"Fuckin' shouldn't be in tha' situation in th' first place."

"I know. Those are some real cards out there." I agreed with him. "But hell, you know your brother. And I can tell from the month I've known him, that he'll be just fine. You know?"

"He's handcuffed tuh a fuckin' roof, and I'm sure he ain't got nothin' to protect himself."

"The door's chained."

"Tha' supposed to protect him from the fuckin' heat?" he snapped at me. The wince passed over my face before I could stop it, but I let him yell at me. He was pissed. So he should get to be pissed.

"Your brother grew up in the heat didn't he?"

"No fuckin' water."

Merle really was in a pickle, there was no denying that.

I threw my arm around Daryl's shoulder and squeezed, the way my oldest cousin used to do for me when I got hurt or something of the like. The action got me an almost skeptical look.

"Why ya doin' this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are ya here?"

"Because, they hurt you. And you saved me, therefore, I care about you, and I don't want you to hurt. Duh?" I smiled. He just stared at me for a few minutes. "And because, I know that you don't like what they did, but they do feel terrible. And they are going back to get him."

"Yeah but-"

"You can't hold this one sin over them alright? I know it's one hell of a sin, but they're trying to make it better. Rick's a bit of a show, but he'll get you back to your brother. No doubt in my mind."

Best Friend Killer was quiet as he chewed over my words. That was something I liked about him, even if he completely disagreed with you, he'll listen to your side. At least listen, probably won't agree, but he'll listen.

"Yer still wearing my shirt?" He finally spoke, looking at me for the first time. Being under his gaze straight on was unnerving. He had hunter's glare like no other, always looking for the slightest sign of weakness. He never usually looked at me straight on, he it was almost always a sideways glance.

"Yup." I answered, popping the 'p'. "Looks better on me anyways."

"Little smart ass." he muttered. I smiled and flopped back down on his cot.

"You'll be careful right?"

"Huh?"

"In Atlanta. You'll be careful?"

"Course. Ain't 'fraid a' no walkers."

"I'm not talking about the walkers." I sighed. "Will you play nice with the other kids?"

"I hate those mother fuckers." Daryl snarled.

"I realize that." I nodded, and closed my eyes. Fuck, I was tired. "But, I want you to be civil. I don't want them to leave _you_ on some fucking roof too."

"Yeah right. Like that would happen."

"They've done it before…"

"They ain't gonn' try shit."

"Make it so they don't have to try anything." I pleaded.

"Fine." he grumbled.

"Promise me."

"Th' fuck?"

"Do it." I opened my eyes, and he had twisted so he could look at me.

"Wha' are ya? Ten?"

"Come on Daryl, you owe me. Just promise."

"I owe ya? Th' fuck do I owe ya fer?"

"You killed my best friend." I answered simply and lifted up my pinky. "Just promise." he looked at me like I was insane.

"I killed yer best-"

"Just freakin' promise me!" I growled and sat up. He sighed and wrapped his pinky around mine.

"Fine, there. I promise."

"Promise what?"

"Ya gotta be fuckin-"

"Say it!"

"Fine! Jesus! I promise I'll be civil towards th' mother fuckers." he rolled his eyes.

"And?"

"And? Wha' fuckin' and?"

"And promise you'll be careful!"

"Ya gotta be the most annoyin-"

"Do it!"

"I promise I'll be careful! Fuck, yer ridiculous."

"Maybe, but I'm also satisfied." I smiled at him.

"Well, 'M glad yer happy, I feel like a goddamned five year ol'."

"Hey! Promises happen to mean a lot to me." I answered, playing with one of my string bracelets. Daryl rolled his eyes again.

"Is tha' boyfriend related?"

"How-" I gaped at him, jaw gracing the floor of his tent. He snorted and turned away from me, grabbing his bow.

"Yer easy tuh read Nia. How many times I gotta say it?"

.:.

_Psychic hicks, now I really have seen everything_ I thought as I headed back towards my tent. It was near noon, and I should probably look into getting dressed for the day. The sun was bright today, still hot, but bright, and I was in a better mood then I had been in for a while. A good feeling sort of mood.

Almost to the point where I felt like skipping.

"Hey Glenn!"

"Hey Cali." was his solemn response. Eyeing my dear Asian, I saw how sad he looked. I sat down Indian style on my sleeping bag and gave him my full attention.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go back to Atlanta. I'm the only one who knows how to get to Merle and the guns." he sighed.

Good feeling gone.

"You're going back? Can't you like, veto the idea?"

"Sorry Cali, but Rick needs me to go."

"But, we need you here!" I argued. That wasn't fair! I just got him back! Glenn pulled off his hat, and ran his hand through his hair.

"It should be pretty easy."

"Keyword, should."

"I'll be back soon." he smiled. I pointed to the Roommate Rules.

"Rule Seven?"

"Rule Seven." He nodded. I threw my arms around the boy and pressed a kiss against his cheek. The walkers couldn't get Glenn, they just couldn't.

After all, he was a goddamned ninja right? At least, that's what he kept mumbling in his sleep.

.:.

The entire camp showed for the send off of the four men who had opted to go back to Atlanta. Lori and Carl were hugging up on Rick, which was cute. While T-Dog and Jacqui went through their goodbyes. To be totally and completely honest, the goodbyes made me ache.

Before the walkers, a goodbye didn't mean much to me. In fact, I never usually ever said goodbye. I always said later, mostly because it was a habit. I believed that there would always be a later, but now, there really wasn't. When Glenn got into the moving van type car, I told him goodbye, realizing it could very well be a goodbye.

"Don't look so sad!" he smiled. "If you get that bored, just make me one of those bracelets, like you made Amy, blue, red and black. Like the Korean flag." he gave me a snarky little smirk.

"Sounds good." I shook my head while I laughed.

"Move chink." Daryl grumbled. He'd been pacing in the bed of that truck for the better part of the last ten minutes. Glenn growled.

"Korean."

"Yellow's yellow." Daryl responded. Walking around to back of the truck, I leaned against it.

"You'd better be nice to him!"

"I didn' promise tuh be nice." he smirked.

Touché

"Will you please be nice to Glenn?" I pouted "For me?"

"Eh." was the response I got. I swear, I got more words out of Dean then I did out of the hunter.

"See you soon?" I questioned the pacing man in front of me. He glanced down at me.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." he nodded.

"Good." I forced a smiled to my face. "You and Merle both. Asshole has my sleeping pills."

"Well, I'll make sure I git thos' too." he gave me a smirk. I don't think he knows how to smile exactly. "Time fer me tuh go."

"Bye Daryl." I gave a small wave.

"Later Nia." He gave me a small wink.

That floored me. Later? A genuine smile crossed my face then. He was telling the truth. I was going to see him later.

And you know what? I was pretty damn excited for that.

**Pretty please review! :D It wold make me very happy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note!: Holy hell fire, you guys have got to be the best readers out there, that many reviews in only a few days! It couldn't make me happier, i swear! Because of how freaking amazing you guys are, I give you this, Porno Pizza Boys and Cali's solution to the end of the world! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own :D**

**Thanks yous!: Sorry I forgot to do this last chapter! thanks to ThisSideOrTheOther, AutumnKrystal, Anon, Fioras, Constantlylost, TheImmortalChaplin, MoonLight, Rickii101, victorskrumpet, Willoeshine (I kind of like Cali/Glenn too ;] ) Jamie, and LillianaKay2011, you are the greatest readers and reviewers ever! Thank you so much!**

Chapter 6!: Bad In Bed Ed!

*Cali*

Splashing and screaming drew my attention away from the pile of laundry that sat in front of me. Peering across the quarry, I saw Shane and Carl splashing around in the water with a net.

"Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?" I smiled, nudging Amy. A grin split her face.

"It's pretty adorable. But, it's hard for anything Carl does to not be adorable."

"True." nodding in agreement, I went back to all of Glenn's clothes. Since he was gone, I figured I'd do this for him. Besides, I didn't really have to do Merle's clothes at the moments, so I could handle mine, Glenn and Daryl's.

"So," Amy drew out the word, long enough to gather the attention of the rest of the women who were doing laundry with us.

"So?"

"So what's going on with you and Glenn?"

"Huh?" my eyebrow rose as I faced my gossip buddies. Each one had one of _those_ smiles on their face. You know, that smile that says 'it doesn't matter what you say, we already think what we think'.

"You know, considering you guys are so close, we just figured…"Amy trialed off.

"Figured that you two were an item." Jacqui winked from where she was soaking a shirt. My face turned red and I looked down.

"We aren't."

"You sure? I think he likes you." Carol smiled from the washboard.

"Everyone likes me." I retorted, with a cheap smirk. "I'm adorable!"

"Adorable, but not for Glenn." Andrea clarified. "So, does that mean Cali got the hots for our resident redneck?"

Somehow, in the heat of Georgia, I managed to _blush_. Not just red tinted cheeks either, I could feel it, full on red faced-heat flash-menopause like blush. "What?"

"I knew it!" Jacqui laughed. "You have a thing for the Dixon boy!"

"I don't have a think for any boy!" I defended myself, which only made the older women cluck their tongues like hen and shake their heads.

"I think you like them both." Amy smirked as she continued to torque the shirt she held. "And you're just waiting to see which one you love more. Until they have an epic battle for your love." I stared at the blonde girl for a long while.

"Guess I'm not the only one who misses TV then, am I?"

Amy laughed, and reached into the lake and splashed some water on my face. "Here, seems like you need too cool off."

"You're a bitch, plain and simple." I stuck my tongue out at her. "Oh, by the way, I have this for you!" I dropped Glenn's baseball shirt and reached into my pocket. I pulled out two string bracelets made out of blue, pink and white string. "I wasn't sure how big to make it, so I made two. I always do that, just incase." I smiled and she took the bigger bracelet.

"Awh thanks Cali! Now we match!" She smiled as she tied the bracelet around her wrist.

"Is that why you have so many?" Carol asked me as she grabbed another load. I nodded.

"Yeah, I always make two, then take the one that the person I made it for didn't want. That way, I have something to remind me of them." I looked down at my arms, and saw them decorated with the people I had in my life before hand. "Plus, the knots and string manipulation were good physical therapy for me when I wasn't actually in the center."

"What did you need physical therapy for?" Andrea asked. I felt a grin split my face.

"Oh a few years back, my cousin challenged me to a race on the quads. I, of course, said yes. Well, I hit a jump wrong and I flew off. I collided with a fence, and crushed my wrist bone in the process. The bone pieces cut up some tendons and nerves and screwed my left wrist up." I held it up, and it shook slightly. "That shaking never really goes away, but it gets stiff all the time, so I was in Atlanta to get it reset, hopefully that would've fixed it. But before I got the chance, poof, end of the world."

"Hardcore." Amy nodded her approval. "And it's not all bad, it lead you here! Right into the arms of your redneck and your pizza boy. Your love life sounds kind of like a bad porno."

"Can we please talk about something other then my love life? Or lack thereof…" I pleaded with the group.

"Fine." Jacqui sighed. "I'm beginning to question the division of labor." She looked across the quarry, where our big scary leader was still frog catching with Carl. "Can someone please explain to me how the woman ended up doin' all the work?"

"The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy asked as she began the scrubbing on a new load. "We started over here, we don't have rights."

"Well, let's get them again." Andrea muttered.

"Fat chance. It took the forever the first time. Women weren't granted full right in any state until Utah adopted suffrage in 1870. It isn't until August 26, 1920, that the Constitution adds the amendment allowing us equal rights. So we're looking at the same hurdles as the original suffragists, only our situation is a hell of a lot worse. We're in Georgia…this is the 'Man is God' state." I sighed. I felt four pairs of eyes looking at me. "What? I was a history major. I was planning on being a museum curator."

"God, history's boring." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Those who don't know history, are doomed to repeat it!"

"Really, where in our great history did it tell us how to survive the apocalypse?"

Well, that shut me up.

It was ironic almost, I had picked history as my future. I picked history because it was dependable, and it never changed. History told you the future, because it was a cycle, everything just happened over and over.

But now, I was living out history in the making. I should start keeping record or something. I had my camera in my bag. With a hell of a lot of batteries. I really needed to start keeping track of what was happening. An account of what was to come.

That way, when the world finally stabilized, I could own my own museum, with my own artifacts inside of it.

"That long huh?" Andrea sighed. "We'll be doing laundry until we die."

"It's just the way it is." Carol stated, looking over at her husband. He was smoking, again, and leaning against the car full of dirty clothes. He still gave me shivers.

His bruises on my arm had started to fade from purple to a light purple green color, but I had on my black and white flannel over my tank top. I didn't need anyone to see those. Injuries were a bad sign in camp, and I didn't need extra eyes on me. I preferred to stay in the background.

"I do miss my Maytag." Carol admitted over the rhythmic sound of Andrea's brush over the clothes.

"I miss my Bentz." Andrea had a Bentz? Lucky bitch. I had a piece o'shit Honda back home.

"I miss my coffee maker, with that gold drip filter, and built in grinder honey." Jacqui smiled wide as she wrung out a shirt over the rocks. Coffee! Oh God, I missed coffee.

"I miss my computer. And texting." Amy had the wistful teenage look. I sniggered and shook my head. "Oh, and what do you miss?"

My family. My friends. My boyfriend. My life. My school. My everything.

"Queen Anne's Chocolate Covered Cherries." I answered, my favorite candy flying out of my mouth before I realized it. "No one else in my house liked them, so I was the only one who'd eat them. God they were the best, with the cherry syrup, and the pink cherry paste." I smiled.

"Gross." Amy laughed. Andrea stopped the rhythmic brushing again.

"I miss my vibrator." everyone shot her a glance, except Jacqui, who gave a sound of approval.

"Oh my God." Amy laughed, half mortified.

_I take back the cherry wish. I need a good lay._

Carol gave a small smile, before looking back over to her husband, then to Andrea. "Me too."

The group of us cracked up, sweet quiet Carol missed her vibrator. And big bad Ed wasn't enough.

_Actually, maybe that's exactly what Camp Clueless needs. Everyone in camp need a good fuck. It would life moral to the highest it's been I'm sure. Put the woman in a better mood, make the men as happy as a pig in shit, not to mention, might make me tired enough to sleep without a pill._

"What's so funny?" Big Bad In The Sack Ed asked, as he sauntered over towards us.

"Just swapping war stories Ed." Andrea, our fearless leader answered. Andrea was the kind of girl you wanted to back you up in a bar fight. She was a boss. Hands down.

Ed continued to hover over us, and silence had fallen over us. We didn't feel like talking around him.

"Problem Ed?" Andrea asked, turning towards him.

Well, most of us didn't want to talk to him.

"None that concerns you." He spat back. Andrea scoffed. "You oughta focus on your work, this ain't no comedy club."

Poor Carol. I wondered what she ever saw in him. Ed was the meanest guy in camp. Hands down. Hell, Merle was better then Ed. Merle never hit me.

Ed continued to hover over us, until Andrea couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, threw down her brush, and walked right up to him. "You know Ed, tell you what. You don't like the way your laundry's done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She threw the soaking pair of jeans at him.

Ed grabbed them and tossed them right back, hard. Andrea took a few steps back. "Oh!"

"Ain't my job missy."

_Suffrage movement, commence!_

"Andrea don't!" Amy pleaded as she stood behind her sister. Andrea wasn't having that though.

"What is your job Ed? Sitting on your ass, smoking cigarettes?"

"Well it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what. Come on! Let's go!" He ordered Carol around like she was some kind of animal. Carol just got up, and walked toward him.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you Ed."

"I don't think it's any of your business. Come on now, let's go."

Andrea and Amy made a wall between Ed and Carol, but Carol just kept whispering or them to let it go. It was no big deal. I stood up now, I hated his stupid display of dominance over his wife.

"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass, just cuz you some college eduated coose." Andrea was one pitch up from growling. "Hurry one up, or you gonna regret it." He ordered Carol.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later Ed?" Jacqui shook her head. "Yeah, we've seen them!" Ed just laughed.

"You know what, get out of here. This ain't any of ya'll business. Ya'll need to stop prodding the bull here, now I am done talking. Come one." he grabbed Carol's arm and started to pull. We kept telling her that she didn't need to follow him, but he just grabbed her tighter. "What? What'd you just say? What?"

Then he smacked her, right across the face.

"Asshole!" Andrea screamed as the rest of us swarmed to get Carol away from Ed. I took an elbow to the eye in the process, and his knee hit Amy in the gut, but we didn't move. This asshole had just hit his wife, in front of all of us.

Not too long after that, Shane grabbed Ed by the back of the shirt, and threw him on the ground, and proceeded to beat the ever living shit out of the man. Faster then any other fight I'd seen, blood started seeping from the cuts on Ed's face. The other women called for Shane to stop, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Ed deserved it.

Shane finally stopped, and I had to hand it to him, he was a very intimidating man. Carol sobbed while she ran over to him, and Shane just walked away.

"Shane! Wait!" I ran to catch up with him.

"I know I went a little to far, but that's his wife, and the little girl-"

"Shane hold on a second." I held up my palm. "I was going to say thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"What for?" he looke down at me, a genuinely confused look on his face.

"For taking care of us, even though you don't have you." I smiled. "You're a good guy. You're kind of bossy, sure, but you're a good guy." That got me a laugh, and a nod.

"Well, thank you kindly."

.:.

After the showdown at the lake, I felt the need for a breather. I gathered up all the clothes I had washed, and drug them back to camp. Finding the warmest spot, I laid them out to dry, then crawled into my tent, and wished that I had some ice. My eye was pounding.

The mirror in my bag showed the dark beginnings of what was going to be one freaking ugly black eye.

Yay.

It wasn't even a black eye to be proud of. I had been standing in the wrong spot. If anything, I should be embarrassed by it.

Curled up on my sleeping bag, I tried to let the sounds of camp shut me down. I hadn't had enough of a day to count backwards from, but there wasn't any noise really.

Amy and Andrea were out fishing, but that meant their chatter was gone. Everything just seemed too quiet.

Except for that repetitive metallic sound. I crawled over to the entrance of my tent, and scanned the area. That sound was familiar, but I couldn't place it. Where the hell…

"Gotcha!" I whispered as I saw a tall, skinny figure at the top of the hill a ways. They were bending over, and standing up. Bending over, and standing up.

Oh digging! They were digging! But, why? There wasn't anything we needed to bury, and I doubted there would be treasure or anything like that.

Regardless, the figure kept digging, and I laid back down, and focused only on the sound the digging person made.

Bending over, standing up. Bending over, standing up.

Again and again, until managed to drift, into dreams about ninja porno pizza boys, and a 'likes it rough and tough' redneck.

**So, next chapter, I'm going to attempt a Dary POV *le gasp!* pray for my immortal writing soul if I fuck him up six ways to Sunday! Please review :D thanks! -Eris**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note!: Oh God, oh God, oh God, I really hope I did Daryl justice, I swear I was this close to deleting the whole thing and starting over, but I realized this was the best I could do. There isn't much description about the city in his POV, but I figured we've all seen the show right? It was more of the hunter's thought process, and please, tell me if he was OOC or tips on how to make Daryl better. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HELP ME!...*regains cool***

**Disclaimer!: I don't own TWD :D**

Chapter 7!: What Goes Up...

*Cali*

"Hold still honey, let me look." Lori smiled at me as I tried to pull away.

"Quit poking it!"

"I have to make sure it's okay." she tried to hide her smile as she gently (yeah right) poked my eye.

"Is it black?"

"Yeah?"

"Then it's not okay." I smiled and pulled away once more. She rolled her eyes.

"Like trying to give Carl a hair cut." She muttered. My retort died on my tongue, as Amy and Andrea walked back into camp, with several fish each. The campers started clapping, and Morales walked up to them, with a wide smile on his face.

"Ladies! Because of you, my children will eat well tonight! Thank you!"

"Thank Dale!" Andrea smiled at him while she passed him the fish. "It's his canoe and gear."

"Mom, look! Look at all the fish!" Carl cried as he ran over to his mom. I got up and hugged Amy.

"You're my hero! I was so sick of all the damned canned food." I smiled. She laughed.

"I rock. Know it. Love it. Fear it." her smiled died when she saw my face. "Oh wow, that looks bad."

"Yeah," I frowned. "It hurts, but you know…eh." I trailed off. I was sort of needing a compliment. How many times was I going to have to here how nasty I looked.

"Oh! Cali are you alright?" Andrea called.

Not enough times, apparently.

"Where did you two learn to do that?" Lori asked, still in shock by the amount of fish.

"Our dad." Amy smiled.

"Can you teach me how to do that!" Carl asked with a grin. That boy was adorable.

"Sure! I can teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy looked at Lori. "Is that okay?"

"You won't catch me arguing." Lori laughed.

"Man, that's amazing." I smiled at the fish. "Most useful thing my dad taught me was Macgyver-type repairs on household appliances." I threw my arm around Amy's shoulder. "So tell me fellow suffragist, feel like helping me with some laundry?"

"Sure." Amy followed me to my tent, where I had pulled in the dried clothes after I had woken up, rather, erm, red-faced from my dream.

Pizza had never seemed so dirty before.

She sat down across from me, and started folding Glenn's clothes. I took over Daryl's.

"I miss my dad." She smiled down at the clothes.

"Me too." I clenched the shirt I was holding tighter. "He was my dad, you know? I miss him."

"Maybe it isn't as bad everywhere else." She voiced. "Maybe the rest of the world is holding off better."

"Well," I walked over to my bag. "if that's the case, then we need to show them how freakin' well you took care of camp." I pulled out my camera. "Come take a picture with me first though, next time I'm on Facebook, I'll set it as my default."

"Deal!" she ran over and threw her arms around me. I held the camera away from us and smiled. The camera clicked, and I pulled it back.

"Damn, we look good."

"We'd look better if you didn't have a black eye."

"Thanks for that…that's just…awesome." I glared at her…one eyed glare, but still.

"Come on, let's go _document_ your studies, miss historian."

"Fine. Let's do it."

We walked out of the tent, just in time to see a caravan of campers walking up the hill, towards where the digger had been residing. Amy gestured for me to follow the crew, and we jogged to catch up.

When we finally reached the top of the hill, Jim was violently pounding at the dirt. He kept stabbing the dirt like he was being paid to do it. Shane approached him slowly.

"Hey Jim?" Jim just continued his lullaby. Bending over, standing up. Bending over, standing up. "Jim why don't you just hold up a second. Please?"

The lullaby finally stopped. "What do you want?"

"We're all just a little bit concerned is all." Shane gestured behind him, toward all of us.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours." Morales gently added. Jim fixed his glare on Dale.

"So?"

"So why you digging? You headin' to China?" Shane gave a laugh.

Good one Shane, haven't heard that since I was five.

"What's it matter, I'm not hurting anyone."

"Yeah, except maybe yourself, it's a hundred degrees out today!" Dale pleaded. The old man was a great peace keeper, and he had a thing for protecting people. He'd even defended Daryl. "You can't keep this up."

"Sure I can, watch me."

"Jim they're not gonna say it, so I will. You're scaring people." Lori came in and ripped the sugarcoat off the topic. "You're scaring my son, and Carol's daughter."

"They got nothing to be scared off." Everyone stared skeptically at Jim. "What the hell people, I'm up here by myself, so why don't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"We think that you need to take a break. Now." Shane explained as he walked closer to Jim. "Why don't you get some shade, little bit of food, and tell you what? In a little bit, I'll come up here, and I'll help you myself. Jim, why don't you tell me what it's about? How about you just give me that shovel?"

"Or what?"

"There is no 'or what'. I'm asking you, I'm coming to you, and I'm asking you please. I don't want to have to take it from you."

"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed, aren't ya? Ya'll seen his face huh, what's left of it? See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you."

"That was different." Shane answered curtly.

"You weren't there, Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife."

"Among others." Andrea threw out, with a look at me. I only looked down.

"That doesn't matter! He is not judge and jury! Who made you king boss huh?"

Shane moved foreword to take the shovel from Jim, who freaked out and tried to attack Shane. Shane counterattacked quickly, throwing Jim to the ground, and handcuffing him.

There were those infamous handcuffs again, subduing yet another harmless threat.

Jim kept murmuring, but I couldn't hear from where I was standing. I couldn't hear until the end.

"Did you know that the only reason I got away, was because the walkers were too busy eating my family."

Oh God, that was terrifying.

I was one of the lucky ones, I think. I wasn't with my family when this happened. I wasn't there for the desperate attempt to take care of each other. To prevent the death of the people who matter most to you. Me and my family were in better positions to survive, because we weren't together. I know for a fact, that if I had to stand there as my family was being threatened by those Walkers, I would lose it. Complete insanity.

Shane and Morales picked Jim off the ground, and carried him back towards camp. I stared at the holes in the ground.

"Never found a hole to be more depressing." I mentioned to Amy when she walked up to me. She nodded.

"We can't catch a break, can we? Our camp just keep getting hit after hit. Will someone please tell whoever's in charge that we need a break?"

"Yeah, I'll drop that into the collection box. Right after I write up the complaint about the heat."

"You are such a puss." Amy shook her head and threw her arms around my shoulder and lead me back to camp.

"I'm just on edge."

"Miss your boys?"

"Yeah. I do." I sighed and stuck my nail between my teeth and chomped down. "They've been gone way too long."

"I'm sure they're okay."

"Yeah. I sure as fuck hope so." I mumbled. Amy just smiled.

"Ever gutted a fish?"

"No. I don't believe so."

"Well, best start teaching you now. Come on." she grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards camp.

*Daryl*

Well, fuck.

These dumbshits weren't worth the air they took up.

Not only did we show up to find that my brother was gone, he fucking cut his hand off. He cut it off.

At least he got out. Toughest sumbitch in the world my brother. I was much less worried about him now. Didn't mean I wasn't pissed. I was pissed because we were stuck in this fucking city, filled to the brim with Walkers.

And I had lost Nia's Asian.

Fuck. Figures, I give the girl my word, and the first thing that happens, is the Chink gets picked up by some fucking wetbacks.

Rick stood across the desk from me, passing out the guns. "Man, them guns is worth more then gold. Gold'll protect your family, put food on the table. Yuh sure yuh wanna risk tha' fer some kid?"

"I'm with Daryl on this one." The negro agreed. "How can you be sure that this guy'll be good on his word?"

"You callin' G a liar?" The skinny little thug baby that had caused this whole mess spat from the floor. I got right into his face.

"You a parta this! Shut th' hell up or I'll bust out yer fuckin' teeth." I snarled. He shrank back a little. I think I had put the fear of God into this little gang banger. Looks like Merle's still doing damage, even if it's only his hand.

"Look," I turned back to Rick. "Is this kid really worth yer life? Cuz that's what's at stake here."

I felt like an asshole, sort of. But I had already lost the Chink, and I tried to get him back, ended up getting jumped by some lousy spics. Now, all I wanted to do was get out of the fucking city. Chink or no. Nia could be pissed later.

"Glenn comes back. To him, I was just some idiot in a tank. He got me out. He saved my life. We ain't leaving until we do the same."

The guns were loaded up, and passed out, and we lead the shit stain back into his nasty ass taco bell hideout. The other thugs opened the gates and lead us inside. I glanced around, looking for the sign of weakness. There was always one, I just had to find it.

Rick and the fuckin' spic head exchanged words, and I was still looking for the weak spot. So far, all I could see was a bunch of thick thugs.

"My hearing's just fine. You said come locked and loaded-" Rick, the nig, and I instantly cocked the guns. The sound was echoed a few times over.

Shit. Was the weak spot?

"Filipe!" A frail little voice entered the warehouse. "Filipe!"

Bingo.

The grandma walked over to the wetback I had nailed in the ass with an arrow. He instantly began talking to her in Spanish.

"Get that ol' lady out of the line of fire!" I ordered. I may have found the weak spot, but no way in hell I was gonna hurt a lady. Not to mention an elderly lady. I might be a backwoods bastard, but I didn't hit girls.

She walked up to Rick and begged him not to arrest her grandson. The old lady was senile. "We're looking for a missing person." Rick explained to her. "Fellow named Glenn?"

"The Asian boy?" she asked. I held in a smirk. Yellow's yellow. "He's here! Come!" she grabbed Rick's hand. "I show you."

We followed the old lady through some the passage ways and into a fucking old people's home. I glanced around, looking for trouble, but instead, all I found was old people. Living as if they had no idea what was going on outside. But then again, they probably didn't. Not if they're all as senile as the first old lady.

The Chink finally appeared to us, next to some old guy choking on nothing. "What the hell is going on?" Rick asked.

"Asthma attack." he answered.

"Man, we thought you were bein' eaten by dogs!" T-Dog growled at Glenn. We looked behind him to see the gayest little dogs I'd ever seen on a pink bed.

"Can I have a word with you?" Rick grabbed the lead thug and pulled him away. Glenn glanced at me.

"You actually came back?"

"Of course." T-Dog assured him. "We wouldn't leave you." Glenn stared at me.

"I didn't wanna piss her off more. I'm already comin' back witout Merle."

"Yeah, well. Good thing you came back." Glenn held up a bottle of pills. "They didn't need them." he tossed them to me. I grabbed them and pocketed them.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I like her too." he had a look on his face that I just wanted to beat off. Smug little bastard.

Rick motioned for us to follow him, and we had to listen to the custodian turned superhero give us some sob story about the old people. I felt for them, really I did, but I was done with the city. I wanted to get out as soon as possible.

Long enough to for Rick to give away all our shit.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." Glenn smiled at Rick as we walked back towards the van.

"Don't you tell nobody."

We rounded the corner…to nothing.

"Where the hell's our van?" I asked as I looked at the empty space.

"It's gone? Who would take it?" Glenn looked around.

"Merle."

"He's gonn' be bringin' some vengeance back to camp." I told them honestly. Glenn swallowed.

"What do we do?"

"Start walking." Rick sighed.

Great. Just great.

"What kind of idiot leaves the keys in th' car?" I growled, looking at the Asian. He held his hands up in defense.

"The kind who didn't think it was going to get stolen."

"There's yer problem kid. Maybe you should start thinking."

"Knock it off." Rick turned on the two of us. "I don't really care if you two like each other or not. You two are gonna shut your mouths. We need to get back to camp. The darker it gets, the more dangerous it will get. So let's get moving."

…

_Merle, I'm gonn' kill yer dumb ass for makin' me run this far_ I growled as I kept trying to keep up with the rest of the idiots. Looks like those years of smoking and drinking were finally catching up with me. Right in the middle of the end of the world too. Fucking figures.

"Hurry up!" Rick encouraged as we kept running. "I have a bad feeling."

Glad I wasn't the only one. I knew what shit my brother could cause when properly pissed off. He was beyond pissed at this point, I could only hope he remembered who he was mad at. And that he didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it.

Fat chance of that though. Merle has what some people would call 'anger issues.'

The sky got dark way too quick for any of our tastes. My only consolation was the fact that we were near camp. Finally, if Merle was there I could calm his gimp ass down, then I could give Nia the damn pills. Then I could sit my ass down for a few minutes. I had gotten beat, had a gun held to my head, treated like a fucking idiot, and still had nothing to show for it. I was fucki-

A gun shot and scream rang the air.

"Oh my God." Rick cried, then took off running. The rest of us took off for camp.

_Fuck! _

There were Walkers everywhere. I grabbed the gun that I had been given, and started shooting everything that groaned. I prayed to God that everything I hit had been a Walker. The camp was in chaos.

Maybe ten walkers later, I finally looked around again. Every Walker was dead again. They were on the ground. The other campers were screaming, shell shocked, or just standing there. I glanced around. Everything seemed to be good.

"Cali?" Glenn screamed. I whirled towards him. "Cali? Where the hell is she!"

"Calm down Glenn." The old man walked over to him. Glenn shook his head.

"No. Where the hell is California!" he walked around the camp fast, looking at the body's on the ground. "She's not here! Where the hell!"

Okay. Calm down. Think. What do you know about Nia? She's cornered, and she's scared. She sure as hell isn't thinking straight.

I grabbed Glenn's yellow ass and drug him over to the trees with me. "What the hell are you doing? I-I gotta find Cali!"

"Tha' what we're doin' dumbass." I growled. "Now shut th' fuck up." I dragged him deeper into the trees. Glenn was shaking under my grip, and I had to regain my patience. I needed him for one thing, and then he could go.

"Why are we out here?"

"Shut up." I looked up. It was too dark to see anything. "Nia!"

I didn't get a response.

"Nia! Com'n! Tell me where yuh are!" I yelled back up into the trees.

I heard a sniff. I smirked, and looked up in the trees again. "Come on Nia, where you at? Yuh don't wann' sleep in the tree do yuh?"

"No." came the small whisper.

"Then move. Tha' way I can come git yuh." I saw her feet move in the darkness. I dropped my gun and bow at the base of the tree.

"What are you doing?" Glenn asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Just shut up, and wait here. Alrigh'?" the kid just nodded. I pulled myself up the stupid tree. Why the fuck does she always have to run up a tree? She fucking hates them, why she does this, I don't' fucking get it. "Talk again Nia."

"Here." her voice was close. I pulled myself up a few more branches until I could see the trembling form squeezed against the trunk.

"Nia. Yuh okay?" I didn't receive a response. "Are yuh hurt?" still nothing. "Did a Walker git yuh?"

"No."

"Alrigh' good." I let out a breath I didn't realize I held. "Yuh wanna get down?"

"No."

"Yuh wanna sleep in th' tree?"

"No." Her voice cracked. "Who's gone?"

"Whut?"

"Who's dead. Who?"

"Come down first, then I'll talk."

Nia moved towards me, and she grabbed my arm with her shaking hand. "I can't see anything."

"We're way lower then we were the first time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"How do I get down?"

"I'll lead ya down a bit. Then yer gonn' jump. The Asian's down there. He'll catch you."

"No way."

"Com'n. It's dark, and yuh wouldn't be able tuh get down. Ya wouldn't be able tuh find a way. So can yuh just trust me? Please?"

"Daryl?"

"Mm?"

"I'm scared." her hand on my arm was shuddering. I really didn't have a clue what to do.

A girl wasn't a car, she didn't come with a manual. Even before the world ended, I hung out with the boys, and fucked the girls. There wasn't much in between. Now I'm stuck with a shocked girl in a fucking tree, with dead geeks surrounding the area.

What the fuckin' hell was I supposed to do?

**So, what the fuckin' hell is he supposed to do? Let me know in a review ;]**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note!: So, I was watching NEWSIES the other day and HOLY BURGER FLIPPERS BATMAN! Dale from TWD is Davey's Dad in Newsies! And he's young too! I was like "O.O holy hellfire!" when I was watching! So, anyways, chapter 8, got some drinking, some walkers, some random wtf-ness :) all that good stuff, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer!: No owning of TWD**

**Thankyous!: Wow, I keep forgetting to add this, I am such a bitch! Anyways thank you dear Lucy Freebird, vicktorskrumpet, TheImmortalChaplin, Willoeshine (Well, once I catch up, we might be looking at a Hiatus until season two :( ) Rickii101, DeeDark, Rinku Miyavi Sama and a *VERY* special thanks to Kazz the 13th, for the brainstorming, and the racism, and the bear ;] oh the things we have coming up for you people...you will love it! **

**Enjoy! **

Chapter8!: ...Must Come Down

*Daryl*

"She wouldn't come down?" The chink asked me as I dropped back to the ground. I rubbed my eye.

"Nope. Don't think she much knows what's goin' on. She ain't a fan of the dark either. She says she ain't moving until she can see." I blew out a breath, wishing I had a smoke or something. "Ya know if tha' ol' man has a flashlight at least?"

"I can go check." The chink sighed and walked back towards the camp. I started back up the tree, until I could hear Nia's teeth chattering.

"Nia, yer Asian's gonn' go get a flashlight, so then ya can come down. Alrigh?" I received no answer. I moved towards her and touched her arm. She flinched, and pulled her arm closer to herself. "Nia, wha' the hell? Though ya said ya weren't hurt none."

"You asked if I got bit. I didn't."

"What happened tuh yer arm?"

"Don't know."

The dark was annoyin' me. Usually, reading Nia was eaiser then fuckin' breathing, but I couldn't see her face. "Com'n Nia. Let's get out of here."

"I can't go down there."

"Yeah ya can. Pretty easy. Git off yer ass, and I'll show ya."

"There's no point." She snarled. I raised my eyebrow. What the fuck? That was the quickest switch I'd ever seen.

"Th' fuck ya talkin' bout now?"

"If I go down there, I'll die. If I stay up here, I'll die. I'm dying either way, might as well reserve an ounce of dignity and die where no one has to see!"

Where the fuck had that come from? I just wanted her out of the tree. I wasn't fixin' to have a life/death discussion. Not now.

"Yer bein' stupid. Now git yer ass out of the tree!"

She shut down again, and pulled her feet up towards her. I moved closer, until she was right in front of me. Being careful not to touch the same sport I did before, I grabbed both her arms. She tried to pull away, but whichever way she went, lead right off the tree. Nia growled and bowed her head.

"Go away." I could barely hear the mumble.

"Nah, don't think I will."

"What part of 'go away' do you not understand?"

"What parta 'nah' do you not understand?"

"I'm scared. I can't go down there. It's not okay. It's broken."

"I bet I can fix it."

"Bet you can't." She sniffed, probably crying again.

"Yer right. I can't fix it up here. But if ya come down, I'll bet I can fix it."

"How do you know?" she whispered. I reached for her face, and tilted it up, so I knew she was lookin' at me.

"Ya gotta let me try." I responded as I pressed my lips against her forehead. Nia jumped a little, I was just hoping she would snap out of it. She reached out for me and threw her arms around me. I froze, once again not sure what I should do.

Who the fuck wires chicks? Christ, confusing as hell.

"Get me out of here." She whispered. I wrapped one arm around her and smirked.

"Whatever ya say Nia."

…

"Com'n. it's jus' like before!" I groaned as Nia on the last branch before the ground. It was maybe a five foot drop. How the hell did she up these things?

"No way. Too high." She answered. She'd woken up some from whatever the fuck she'd been smothered in, and now she was in pretty much the same place as when I had met her. She sat on the branch and shook her head.

Damn it, where was the chink?

"Jump." I ordered her. She scoffed.

"Are you insane?"

"Wha? Think I won't catch ya?"

"Exactly."

"Git yer ass down here!"

"No!"

"Hey, I couldn't find a flashlight that wasn't bein-hey you got her down?" The chink asked as he came back and looked up in the tree.

"Almost." I answered. "Now all's left is tuh get her-" I turned toward the chink and smirked. "Come wit me."

"Uh, alright?" he followed me until we got closer to the dumb ass in the tree. Her feet were hanging from the tree. "Talk to her." I ordered him.

"Hey Cali, you about ready to get down?" he looked up at her.

"Fuck all of you."

"Oh yeah, she's kinda in tha' 'anger' stage of shock." I mentioned as I made sure I had the angles right. I moved him over to the right a little.

"Awesome." The chink groaned and looked back up. "Come down Cali, we need to make sure you aren't hurt."

"I ain't. You suck, both of you! I hate you, why I should I-AWHSHIT!FUCK!DAMN!" She screamed as I lightly tugged on her foot once more, and she fell out of the tree, and on top of the chink. They both groaned.

Hell, when it happens to someone else, it was kind of funny. I can see why Merle laughed now. Nia flew up from the ground, and turned on me. "You are the biggest asshole I have ever met! How the fuck could you do that! How the fuck-" She stopped mid yell. "Oh my God, you're okay!"

"What?" me and the chink both asked. She stared at the both of us.

"You're okay!" She flew onto the ground, and hugged the Asian. He looked confused as hell, but hugged her back. After she let him go, she came back to me and threw her arms around me again. "You're both okay!"

What the fuck? God I hated women. They're the most indecisive fucking things.

"Cali, you okay?" the chink asked as he got back to his knees. Nia just nodded.

"Yeah, no. I think I've gone insane." she admitted as she looked down. "I hurt my hands."

"Com'n." I put my hand on the small of her back, and lead her toward the camp. The chink followed us. None of us talked, Nia was still in shock or whatever, and well, I didn't much like the chink.

"Wait." Nia stopped walking as we neared camp. "I can't go back there. Not in the dark. I can't." me and the chink looked at each other.

"You said you were hurt Cali."

"I can't. I can't go back."

"Here, com'n." I repeated for the hundredth time that night. "I got shit in my tent, might be able tuh fix ya up." I lead them towards me and Merle's section of the camp. The chink looked like he was going to piss himself in fear. Probably might, damn shame I didn't have no newspaper for the kid. Nia walked into the tent and sat down on my cot, while the Asian stood by the door. I rolled my eyes and turned on the light.

"Holy shit." The chink gasped, actually gasped, as the light went on. I looked up from the bag I was holding at him, his eyes were huge, and he was staring at Nia. I looked over her way.

"Fuck! Who th' hell did tha' tuh yer eye?" I asked as I walked over to her, tilted her head towards the light.

"It was an accident."

"Accident? Tha' ain't no fuckin' accident! Who the fuck did tha'?"

"Ed." she finally whispered. I growled. Fuckin' big man likes to hit girls huh?

"I'm goin' tuh fuckin' kill him." I snarled. The chink took off his hat, and fucked with his hair.

"You don't have too. A walker took care of that."

"Good fuckin' ridde-"

"Shut it." The chink hissed and pointed towards Nia. Her eyes had gotten wide, and water filled, the trembling had returned. She dropped her arms from where they had been wrapped around her, and it left blood on her shirt.

"What happened tuh yer hands?" I asked as I continued try and find Merle's stash. She looked down.

"Splinters. I f-fell half way up the t-tree. I tried to grab on and I got stuck u-up." She shuddered the words out. I finally stuck gold, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. The chink looked at me like I was insane.

"What, you think we need a nightcap?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"No dumbshit. This here whiskey works as a disinfectant. Dontcha know about infections in China?"

"Korea…" He growled. I turned back towards Nia. "Give me yer hand." she held out one, and it did have about ten splinters in it, a bunch of different sizes. "Git over here slopehead, and do her other head."

The damn chink growled again, and took her other hand, which wasn't in any better shape. He tried to slowly pull out one of the splinters and Nia cried out and ripped her hand away. I growled mentally. Figures, everything with her has to be difficult.

Every fuckin' thing.

"Enough is E-fuckin'-nough!" I growled and opened the bottle of whiskey and passed it to Nia. "Drink up kid."

"Are you serious?"

"Hell yeah. Start drinkin'." I told her. She chewed her lip for a second, before she took a very, very generous amount into her mouth. She swallowed with a cough, and went back for more. "Shit, ya know yer drinkin'."

"I go to a party school." She mumbled as she worked her way through the first quarter of the bottle. "Well, I _went_ to a party school." The chink could only stare. I took the bottle from her when she had almost passed the quarter line.

"Ready?"

"Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuup." She half slurred, offering up her hands. I grabbed one, and pulled out one of the splinters. She didn't even flinch. I smirked and continued to pull at the wood.

"Cali, what happened?" the Asian asked as he started to pull too.

"God, I don't even know." She murmured. "It-they came out of fucking nowhere. The entire camp was around the firepit, because Amy and Andrea, they got fish, and we were cooking them."

Cooking the fish? At night? With no one on guard? What the fuck did those idiots think were going to happen! The geeks had probably been able to smell that fish for miles, no wonder it was such a slaughter.

"-Then Amy came out of the camper, and then a Walker was right there. Right fuckin' there. They had us cornered, it was like 'where you goin? Nowhere!', it was horrible." She half spoke, half slurred her words.

I pulled the last chunk of wood out of her palm, and grabbed the bottle, and a clean shirt. "This prolly gonn' sting a bit." I told her. Her hand immediately tensed. "Damn it all, if ya pull away from me one more time-"

"You'll what?" She smirked. "You backwoods boys wouldn't hit a girl if your life depended on it."

"Best not test that idea." I muttered and poured some whiskey on the shirt, then pressed the shirt against her hand.

"Ow! Shit!" she hissed. Her head turned towards the chink. "Who's dead?"

"What?"

"Tell me, who's dead?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now damnit."

"Cali…"

"Please Glenn?" She whispered, her eyes wide on him. He groaned.

"Ed, a few other people that kept to themselves…and Amy."

"Amy?" Nia's eyes were instantly drowned in water. "No…that can't be right…that walker…they-"

"Hey, Daryl? Glenn?" That fuckin' deputy's voice asked from outside of my tent. "Is she okay?"

"More or less." I answered.

"I hate to do this, but, we need some more hands out here. I need one of you."

The chink looked at me, and I only smirked. "Finder's keepers Chinaman."

…

I carefully wrapped Nia's hands up, tight so the bleeding wouldn't start up again. I was having a hard time looking at her, the black eye pissed me off so much. "Hey…Daryl?"

"Whut?"

"Did you find him?"

"Who?"

"Merle you idiot. Did you find Merle?"

"Oh, nah. When we got there, he wasn't on th' roof. Turns out, he sawed off his own hand, then cauterized it. Toughest mother fucker in th' world, my brother."

"Oh my God. I'm sorry."

"At least now I know he's okay." I gave her a small smile. "Ass face stole our van. Took off with it. Damn mother fucker, making me walk that far."

"Merle is an asshole." Nia gave me a small smile.

"The best of them." I finished with the bandages, and turned back towards her. "Now, ya should probably get some sleep."

"Yeah right." she shook her head. "No way in hell."

"Think again." I pulled out the bottle of pills, and tossed them to her. She gave a genuine smile, and busted open the seal. Scanning the bottle, she took out three and reached for the whiskey. "Sure tha's a good call?"

"I gotta sleep tonight." she sighed as she took the pills, and a swig as a chaser. "I haven't slept in too long."

"Why ya gotta take those anyways?"

"It's a secret." She mumbled, holding a finger to her lips. "If you wanna know, you have to tell me a secret first. That way I know you won't tell mine, because you tell mine. I tell yours."

"Alrigh'." I rolled my eyes and grabbed another shirt. "Here, yers is nasty."

"Oh." she grabbed mine, and pulled her flannel off. I looked anywhere else, like any other southern boy would. She snorted. "I have a tank top on." she pulled on my shirt, and tossed her flannel to the side. I finally looked back, and saw some nasty yellow splotches on her arm.

"Where'd ya git those?"

"Oh, uh, Ed."

"Shit Nia, how long was he beatin' on ya?"

"He wasn't, technically. The first time he just grabbed me. The second time, he was in Carol's face, so we tried to stop him. I took an elbow to the eye, and Amy took-" her face fell, the tears that had been threatening me the whole night finally poured over.

Shit. Crying. I was not good with crying.

Finally, I got up next to her, and threw my arm around her. She leaned against me and cried, while I rubbed circles on her back. "She's my best friend. She's my best friend." over and over, until it was starting to tire me out.

I didn't want to tell her it would be okay, but damn it, I didn't want to just sit there quietly. "Jus' sleep now Nia, then ya can face it in the morning."

"Can I stay here?" She whimpered. "Glenn's with the b-body crew. I don't wanna be by myself."

Nia was drunk, drugged, and downright depressed. Fuck if I was goin' to let her go off by herself. "Yeah, ya can stay here. 'M gonna get called out for watch in a few hours anyways."

"Okay." she kept leaning against me. "You go first."

"Whut?"

"Sleep. You first."

"Whut the fuck?"

"You gotta do it too. Go to sleep!" she pushed me, and I fell back on my cot. She laid down next to me, her back to me. "There, now we're even."

"Even for what?"

"That thing, you know?" She yawned. I smirked and threw my arm over her waist.

"Nia, yer so fuckin' weird."

*Cali*

I was going to kill BFK for getting me drunk, and I was going to kill Glenn for letting Daryl get me drunk. When Lawman had come to get Daryl for cleanup duty, I had woken up to the screeching of the tent being opened.

Damn it, how much did I drink?

Also, how in God's green earth did I get out of that tree?

How come it took them forever to get back from Atlanta?

I kept thinking random thoughts, that way, I wouldn't have to watch the scene in front of me. Daryl walking around with a pickax, busting the Walker's heads, and Glenn and T-Dog following him, throwing the bodies into a fire pit. I was sitting under a tree, trying not to watch. Trying not to see this, and trying damn hard not to look at Amy.

Amy, covered in blood, and the paleness of death attacking her full force. Trying not to walk over there, to see if it was really true.

I found myself praying that she was dead, straight up dead. That way, she wouldn't come back a walker. I couldn't see her as a walker. _This the world we live in now God? I have to pray for someone's death now?_

"We need to take care of this situation. Same as the others." I heard Shane tell Rick, Dale and Lori. Oh God, I hope they wouldn't do it. They couldn't do that to Andrea. She wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

Rick walked over to Andrea, and before he could even take a knee, she had her gun at his head. I smiled in spite of myself. Our fearless leader was still that. Fearless. God help whoever tried to separate them.

"Ya can't be serious! Yer gonna let that girl fuck us over like that? The dead girl's a time bomb." Daryl had joined their conversation now. I felt my spine bristle.

"What would you suggest?"

"Take the shot! Clean, right in the brain. Hell, I could hit a turkey 'tween the eyes from this distance."

"No. For God's sakes, let her be. " Lori told him immediately. Looks like me and her agreed once more.

Daryl growled, and turned away, walking towards the fire pit. "Wake up Jimbo, we gots work to do." He said as he helped Morales drag a body towards the flames.

It was Tyler Munch, a little on the antisocial side, and he'd been terrible at laundry. He was part of the group that just handed his laundry to the woman with a apologetic look on his face. Fresh tears filled my eyes, and I willed them to go away.

"H-hey, what are you guys doing?" Glenn asked as they got closer. "That pile's for geeks. Our people go over there."

"He's a dead thing, whut's the difference?"

"Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand?" Glenn's voice cracked near the end. I pulled myself off the ground and made my way over to him. He took one look at me and grimaced. I threw my arms around him, despite the fact that he was drenched in sweat. We all were, it was a nastier Georgia day.

"Thank you." I whispered. "I didn't want to see him burned either. Any of them."

Daryl and Morales dropped the body in the pile. "Ya reap whut ya sow."

"You know what, shut up man." Morales growled at him. Daryl just kept walking.

"Ya'll left my brother for dead! Ya had this comin'!" he stalked off.

That was the final fucking straw. I followed him, and pushed him into the forest.

"Th' fuck ya want?"

"Quit your shit man, these people are hurting. Everybody just lost somebody." I tried to keep my voice hard, but it came out more scratchy then anything.

"They're hurtin'? Fuck them! Alla them! Tha' blonde girl dies, and they hold a fuckin' funeral. Some guy who never fuckin' talked gets near the fire and the chink suddenly feels guilty. My brother gets left tuh die and those mother fucker throw a fuckin' party! So sorry if I don't seem sympathetic tuh them."

"Fine, hate them if you want, but don't blame it on the dead! Don't blame this on Ed, or Tyler, or A-Amy. Just don't. Can you do that? For me?"

"Look, I'm busy." he snapped, and left me there by myself. I leaned against a tree once more, and watched as he walked over to the bodies once more.

I didn't understand him. He was nice, then he was a dick. What the hell else did he expect? Besides, Merle got out alive. He was fine. Amy was dead, and she wasn't coming back.

Actually, that was a lie too. She would be coming back. She'd be coming back as a Walker. And judging from the way Andrea had gone pit bull towards Rick, she's be around long enough to make that step.

I clenched my fists, and was met with a jolt of pain. I groaned and brought my left wrist up, and popped it several times. Goddamned thing, tweaking out when I least needed that.

As if things weren't bad enough. I swear Camp Clueless might have the worst-

"A walker bit Jim!"

…Camp Clueless _had_ the worst fucking luck ever.

**So, more angstiness and sadness to come, but never fear, you have a bitch!fight to look foreword too, and a bear attack, annnnnnnnnnnnd so much more, now tell me dear readers, should Cali and Daryl make up, or beat the living hell out of each other-up? :D**

**Tell me in a review! Love you all! -Eris**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note!: So, it was near dead even on the whole makeup/beat the hell out of eachother, so I combined the two! Sorry it took so long to get this out there! my computer has a virus :( anyways, enjoy! **

**Dislaimer!: No owning of TWD!**

**Thank yous!: To the lovely lot of ya! Fioras, Lucy Freebird, LillianaKay2011, The Immortal Chaplin, constantlylost, viktorskrumpet, katiespencer83 (and thanks for all the movies I must now watch!) Rickii101, hickchic09, ShiveringTree, Rinku Miyavi Sama, ThisSideOrTheOther, and the lovely Kazz the 13th. whorship her people, she approved the tree idea.**

Chapter 9!: Pain Is Just Weakness Leaving The Body

*Cali*

I rubbed circles into my temples as I listened to the camp chatter around me. There was so much we had to deal with now. The bodies, the walkers, and Jim. God help him. Rick had lead him away, to safety or some other thing like that. Camp Clueless was now currently having an emergency meeting. We needed do figure out our next plan.

There were three ideas on table at the moment.

There was Plan Rick- try our luck out at the CDC, and hope that they would have a cure, or a way to help Jim.

Or, Plan Shane- try our luck at Ft. Benning, which was a hundred miles in the opposite direction. The fort held the promise of shelter, ammo, and other survivors. And the stability of a community.

I like how they were willing to go off of luck. We had to be the unluckiest group of people left in the world. Hell was bound to follow us no matter where we went, which lead me to the third plan.

Plan Daryl- we put a pick ax in Jim's head and then play it by ear from there.

Yep…we were fucked. Hardcore.

"Well," someone sighed. "Can we just stay here?"

"Wouldn't work." I answered before I realized it. "The walkers are pulling a colonist approach to this." the entire camp stared at me. "Come on guys, the colonists? Okay, the early settlers, what did they do when they got here?" I was met with blank stares. "Okay…well, the colonists set up stock in one area. Then more and more colonists started showing up, that caused them to have to expand. That's what the Walkers are doing now. They're expanding their territory."

"Really?" Shane shot me an amused smile. "Then what do you propose we do?"

"We play it like the Indians, and we use the terrain to our advantage."

"Not even close to the same thing." Rick shook his head. "The Indians were there first, they had the advantage of actually having the land. For all we know, this mess has spread across America. We're outnumbered no matter where we are."

"Outnumbered sure," I agreed. "But the Walkers, they're not exactly the smartest things out there. Any prior knowledge they had before being bit has been lost. They're as clueless as the original settlers, which means that everything we know about the land can be used to our advantage."

"Speed it up and get to your point."

"The mountains. We need to get up into the mountains. The amount of Walkers already up there would be minimal compared to what we're dealing with this near the city. Besides, I can't imagine the Walkers having a very easy time of getting up a mountain. For all we know, it could be the safest place we have left."

"Or it could be a death trap." Shane sighed.

"And Ft. Benning isn't? Or the CDC? I mean if we're taking shots in the dark here, why not?"

"We don't know what's up those mountains. At least with the CDC or Ft. Benning we have some idea of what we're up against."

"Yeah, an army of Walkers!"

"Listen here kid-"

"Kid!"

Mine and Shane's argument was interrupted by a low moan. I turned towards Andrea, and saw with sickening realization that Amy had come back. Her hand was lifting slowly, and reaching toward Andrea. The hand she had lifted off the ground still had my bracelet tied around it.

Shane and Rick stared walking over toward her, I tried to follow, but Glenn held me back. "You won't want to see this. Trust me on this one."

"I think-I'm gonna-" was all I managed to get out before I rushed over to the bushes, and threw up what whiskey was left in my system. Glenn, being the greatest human being left in the world, held my hair as I continued to dry heave.

Amy was just a kid. Just like me, how could she be dead. There was no justice in this. Not even close. I wish there was something I could do, something that could prevent the coming back.

I used to fear death. It seemed stupid now, but I had been afraid of dying, afraid of what happens after. But now, I found myself wishing that if I die, I want to stay that way. A new, sick kind of bedtime prayer.

_Now I lay me down to sleep._

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep._

_If I should die before I wake_

_I pray the Lord I stay dead _

Sure, it didn't rhyme, but it explained my point well enough.

I finally stopped puking, and during my reprieve form the stomach clenching, I heard the gunshot.

Loud, powerful, and final.

"Oh Amy." I whispered. Tears filled up my eyes once more, but I brushed them away immediately. I had to be done crying. Crying just made me less alert of what was going on around me. Glenn knelt down next to me, and wrapped his arms around me.

"She's okay now. She's finally okay." He told me. I bit down on my lip and prayed that Glenn was right.

.:.

I trudged up the hill with Glenn, and the rest of Camp Clueless towards the holes that had once been a lullaby, but now only held promises of nightmares.

Daryl was already there, talking with Shane and Rick. "-Because some Chinaman gets emotional? I thought everyone got burned! Isn't tha' th' rule?"

"There are no rules!" Rick countered.

"Well, that's a problem." Lori said, stepping into the ring. Good on her, I didn't have the patience for those men right now. "We need something to hold on to. We need to mourn and bury our dead. Because that's what people do."

There must be something in Southern woman, because I could say something, and get brushed off. Lori on the other hand, she only has to _think _something, and those Southern gentleman jumped right on it.

Damn it Wyoming. You failed me again.

As per Lori's request, we buried our dead. Which was hard enough.

Then came Amy's turn.

That was my best friend that they were dropping into that grave. The first person to accept me in this camp. Not only that, but Amy was an innocent. She was a kid. She didn't deserve this, not in the slightest. She was hurt the most out of all of us. She had to die, then she had to come back, only to die again.

I wanted to die.

But for some damned reason, I wanted to live more.

_What do you even have to live for? What is there left to live for? _I smirked ruefully at my thoughts. You are your own worst enemy, isn't that the saying?

I had nothing to live for, which also meant I had nothing left to lose by surviving. A paradox I guess, but I was going to live. If for no other reason then to spite the world. A final 'fuck you' to the universe.

They seemed to take their time burying Amy, but they finally covered the grave, and the camp began to shuffle back down to the campsite. Except Andrea. She only stood at the grave, staring a hole into the ground. I chewed on my lip, and approached her slowly. "Andrea?"

"What?" She mumbled. I walked up until I was next to her. I untied the knot that held the partner to Amy's bracelet from my wrist.

"I think you should have this." I smiled, holding the string out to her. She only stared at it.

"I couldn't take that from you Cali."

"I-I can always make another one. This way, you guys are still together. Connected no matter what. She's want to be connected to you, rather then me, I'm sure." I smiled and dropped the string into her palm.

"T-thank you."

"Not a problem." walking towards the campsite, I tried to catch my breath.

Survive. Just focus on surviving.

.:.

I leaned against a tree, and listened as the Lawman and the Deputy duked it out over the CDC/Ft. Benning dilemma. At this point, I didn't really care where we went. I just wanted something to expect. The two officers looked like they were about ready to kill each other. Dale, ever the peace keeper, wormed his way in between the two men.

"Since we can at least agree on that fact that we're leaving, how about we pack up the camp, that way, we call all give where we want to go some thought."

"Sounds good." Rick sighed.

"Yeah, let's pack all this up." Shane nodded. The crowd started to disperse, but Dale grabbed my shoulder gently and pulled me back.

"California, would you mind grabbing a few of the tin can lines we have out there? I'd like to start ringing those in. We're all on high alert as it were."

"No problem." I smiled and headed off towards the forest. I needed this actually. I was so fucking mad right now, and I really didn't have a sound reason why. I just was angry, and I needed to be angry.

And being alone in the woods was the perfect place for it if you ask me.

The task was monotonous enough that I was able to put my mind on autopilot while I did it. Take off the can, wind the string. Take off the can, wind the string. Take off the can, wind the-

"Could ya be any louder?" my spine instantly bristled. I was still mad at him, and I didn't really want to talk to anyone.

"Go away."

"Shut yer damn cans up then! What, ya wanna 'nother Walker attack?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" I whirled on him, and moved close enough that I could stab my finger into his chest. "I'm sick of your 'fuck you all' attitude! Grow the fuck up!"

"Oh listen here lil' girl, ya best not be getting inta my face like tha'!"

"Like what!" I shoved him. "You backwoods bastard!"

"Yer a dumb little bitch who needs to wake th' fuck up and realize what th' fuck she's dealin' with!" Daryl snarled back.

I snapped then. I threw my fist back, and it connected with his stomach. Daryl groaned and reached for my arm, which he managed to grab. I wasn't having that. I threw my knee into his chest. His grip tightened and he lifted up his other hand and pushed me against a tree.

"Calm th' fuck down ya crazy bitch!"

"Fuck you!" I seethed. "Fuck you! You think I don't know what I'm dealing with out here! I'm still alive Daryl! I'm just as good as you are! I'm obviously doing something right!" I lifted my foot and slammed my shoe into his shin. He groaned.

"Best stop hittin' me!" he growled as he pulled my from the tree slightly, then slammed me back into it. The bark connected with my bare shoulders, causing pain to prickle from that area out. I groaned and screwed my eyes shut.

"Ow! You damn bastard-" when I opened my eyes, he was right in my face. My sentence died on my tongue.

He was staring at me straight on again. I hated being in his line of sight. It held the same weight as someone under a sniper's scope. Inescapable, and unable to see it coming. The bitter knowledge that you had done something to deserve to be under that scope. I swallowed. His eyes watched my throat as it moved.

A predator. He was a predator in every sense of the word. A wolf. And the dumbshit little lamb had went and pissed him off.

"Shut th' hell up fer ten minutes." He growled. I tried to keep breathing.

"Or what? You'll-" I didn't get to finish my sentence, his mouth had covered mine. He had the advantage, because that shocked the hell out of me. His hands moved from my arms to my hips.

Then I remembered I was mad I at him.

I wound my fingers in his short hair and tugged. I heard his breathing hitch, and I smirked.

He actually was a 'likes it rough and tough' redneck.

He growled once more and pressed me harder against the tree, this time with his body. His leg slid in between mine as his tongue slipped into my mouth, and I instantly started fighting him for dominance. I need to win this. I had to.

I had to prove that the hunter wasn't indestructible.

He brought one of his hands from my hips to my hair, and he gave that a tug. The pain mixed with the pleasure caused me to moan, and buck my hips out. Which brought another growl from the hunter. His retaliation included moving his lips from my mouth to down my neck. I leaned my head to the side, to give him better access. Completely against my will mind you. My body was on it's own at this point.

His lips brushed against my pulse point and I whimpered. I could feel his lips contort into a smirk against my skin. I growled this time, and rolled my hips, eliciting a moan from the hunter. I thought I might have the upper hand at this point.

Then he bit down of the pulse point, hard.

"Oh fuck!" I hissed as the electricity shocked though my body. I felt my back arch off the tree, which only pissed off the hunter more. He slammed me back into the tree, causing more pain to dance along the pleasure. He continued to attack my neck, this time, slipping his hand under my shirt.

His hands were rough, calloused, and caused my skin to explode at the contact. I wanted more. Way more.

I pulled my hands from his hair and brought his hips closer to mine, and I was more then proud to feel the effect I was having on the hunter.

"Shit." he breath caused my body to shiver. "Yer a damn good tease."

"Try me." I snarled as I moved my hands up his shirt, and dragged my jagged fingernails down his back.

His hands slid higher up my shirt, until I could feel the roughness just below my chest, he worked his way towards the back. He bit down on my neck once more, then started to suck on the same spot. I dug my nails into his back.

"Shit!"

"Fuck!"

"Hey Cali-Dale wanted me to-OH HOLY SHIT! SORRY!" Daryl was off of me so fast, but not before I caught a good glance of Glenn covering his eyes.

"Oh my God." I moaned, covering my face with my hands, which I was sure was about nine different shades of red. "Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Jesus!" Daryl growled, and walked right past me and Glenn.

"Coward." I muttered. Glenn waited until he was gone before he looked at me.

"What the hell!"

"I don't know!"

"Christ Cali, _him! _Really?"

"Can we just, never, ever, talk about this again?" I begged him. "Please?"

"Deal." he answered immediately. "Deal. Never, ever again."

We walked out of the trees in a very awkward silence. I could only match it to when my big brother had caught me kissing my boyfriend. I was embarrassed as hell, and just wanted to disappear for a while. I started towards the tent. I could wait for God to kill me while I was packing up all of my shit.

"H-Hey Cali?" Glenn finally spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You've got, uh, splinters all over your shoulders."

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.

*Daryl*

Oh fuck, fuck, fuck.

I leaned against a different tree, and tried to catch my breath. Fuckin' stupid, doing that. With Nia? What the fuck was I thinking?

Well I wasn't. That much was fucking obvious.

I growled and slammed my fist against the tree, and I felt a little bit better when the skin broke and the heat of my own blood dripped onto my knuckles.

"Hey!"

I looked behind me, and saw the Chinaman standing there, looking pissed off beyond all belief. I smirked. "Th' fuck ya want slant eyes? I ain't got time-"

"Shut your fucking mouth for five minutes." The chink snarled.

I swear my fuckin' jaw was on the ground. I know the meek little chink did not just fuckin' say that to me.

"Th' fuck-"

"Did you not hear me just now? Shut the hell up you inbread fuck, because I'm going to talk, and damn it, you're going to listen."

**Ohhh lookit that! I gave Glenn some balls! All in favor of ballsy!Glenn chewing Daryl out, leave a review! Let me know if you want Daryl to get verbally raped by everyone's favorite Chinaman ;) oh, and sorry if the tree-lovin' was a little lame, i'm not very good at smut xD **

**LOVE!-Eris**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note!: Hahaha you guys are the best readers out there...hands down. Your reviews crack me up xDDDD thank you for making my spring break! Filler chapter, sure, but damnit, it's a good one.**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own TWD...but come on, some of you wish I did ;]**

**Thank yous!:**

**Lucy Freebird: How's about after the CDC, i'll slap a big ole AU on this thing and we'll do what we can with Camp Clueless :)**

**Green Eyed Faerie: Thanks! ;) it was a lot harder to do then i thought!**

**Eluzabeth: Love your name, and glad I could make school a little bit better!**

**Rickii101: Enjoy the crazy!Glenn!**

**BobbieBomber: I'm glad you like the humor! the show seems just a wee bit too serious sometimes!**

**LillianaKay2011: Hope it shocks you delighfully :D**

**Willoeshine: I cannot even tell you how much your review made me laugh xD **

**Yourmercifuldeath: Awh, I love you too Mercy :)**

**ShiveringTree: And Glenn certainly does :)**

**constantlylost: I'm from Wyoming, and that little phrase crosses my mind daily ;]**

**Enjoy guys!**

Chapter 10: A Black Eye, I'm Bleeding But I'm Fine.

*Daryl*

"Inbred fuck?" I repeated. "Sumone jus' decide they gonn' have balls taday?" I growled, stared at the slant eyed piece of shit in front of me. "Or ya jus' all sorts a stupid?"

"Why can't you shut your damn mouth." He growled. "I'm going to talk. You're going to listen. And then we walk away like this never happened."

"An' wha' makes ya so sure I'm gonn' take this like sum little bitch?"

"Because for the next ten minutes, you _are_ my bitch, redneck."

I pulled my fist back, but paused, as a memory I really wished hadn't, resurfaced. "Look here chink, I'm giving ya a chance tuh walk away right now. I promised Nia I'd be nice tuh ya."

The chink clenched his jaw, and before I could actually believe he did it, he threw his fist across my face. I stumbled back a few steps before I regained my balanced. I snarled and glared at him. His eyes were hard, and a little too satisfied for my taste. "I didn't promise Cali shit."

Well fine, it's like my Ma always said. _If you throw the first punch, I'll kick your ass. If you take the first punch, then it's self defense, and you fight back._

If it was good enough for my Ma, it was a good enough excuse for Nia.

I pounced on top of the Chinaman and sent my fist through his teeth. When I pulled it back for a second hit, I felt his teeth slice up my hand. I went back for the second hit, but he caught my fist with both of his, then slammed his knee into my gut.

I rolled off and got back on my feet, bringing my arms up by my face. I had the advantage here. I had Merle as an older brother. I knew how to defend myself. The chink? He had a fuckin' pizza route. He growled at me, and then he dove at me, knocking me on my back. He was a persistent little fucker, I'd give him that.

I threw him off of me, and slammed him against a tree, much harder then I had Nia. "Whut th' fuck is yer problem ya rice munching bastard!"

"My problem is a nasty little redneck who doesn't know what 'too far' is!"

"Whut the hell ya talkin' 'bout?"

"You almost fucking Cali against a tree!" He growled, worming a fist free, and smashing it against my nose. I felt the heat as my blood started to slide out from my nose.

I instantly threw my fist against his face again, watching as I split his lip, and I brought my left fist over the other way, and pushed it against his eye as hard as I could. He groaned and his head collided with the tree. I pressed my arm against his throat. "Ya ready tuh have a rational discussion now?"

"Fuck…you…" He wheezed. I smirked, and removed my arm from his throat. He took a shuddering breath and glared at me. "I hate you."

"Feelin' jus' might be mutual there."

"Look, I don't really care what you do to me, or the camp, set fire to a bunch of orphans if you want. It's really none of my business. But Cali, she's my fucking business. And I swear to God, if you do anything to hurt her, you fuck up once-"

"And whut ya gonn' do there Glenny?" I smirked, and popped my knuckles once more. "Beat me up? Cuz this sure worked out well for ya. Or maybe you'll tell my Ma?"

To my surprise, all the chink did was smirk. "You really wanna know what happens to you if I find out you make one wrong move with her?"

"I'm fuckin' dyin' tuh know here."

"I take the nearest blunt object, maybe my bat, maybe a crowbar, hell, maybe even a rock? Who knows. I take the blunt object, and I beat your miserable head in, until you're nothing but Walker food."

"Tha' don't scare me." I scoffed. "Ya don't got th' balls."

"Yeah? Like I didn't have the balls to stand up to you? Do you even understand how absolutely easy it would be to pull this off? I kill you, then if someone in camp asks, I just say you attacked me first. And since you're related to Merle, and since you're a bigoted asshole, and I'm the camp puppy, they won't question me for a second. They already know you like to pick on me, violence probably wouldn't be far behind."

Holy shit, he had put some thought into this. A hell of a lot of thought into this.

Even worse, he was fuckin' right. I was an asshole, and if it really came down to it, Grimes would believe the chink without a shadow of a doubt.

"Ya put some thought inta this."

"Yeah well, I'm pretty good at planning." he sighed and spat out some blood. "But in all honesty, we won't have to worry about any of this, at all, if you keep a level head and make sure you never hurt Cali. She's pretty important to me. Family. And I won't have her hurt by a inbred fuck as yourself Dixon." he pulled off his hat, shook his head and pulled it back on. "Get it?"

"Yer pretty stupid kid."

"Excuse me?"

"First off, I ain't my brother. Second, I ain't about tuh screw Nia over. Ever occur tuh ya tha' I might actually like havin' her around?"

"I don't care what you like or who you are. I'm saying, that if you hurt her, even once, you're a dead man." he turned away from me. "Now hurry the fuck up, the camp wants to talk about where we're going to go."

What the fuck just happened?

*Cali*

I was sure my face was still red as I laid out on my stomach, with Jacqui and Carol diligently pulling out the splinters from my shoulders, and a few they found on the back of my legs as well.

I was shocked at my own behavior. I normally wasn't into the whole 'let's beat the shit out of each other, but lets do it so it's kind of sexy at the same time' thing. No, that wasn't me at all! And yet, I had almost been willing to drop to my knees and beg the hunter to take me, as long as he hurt me while he did it.

"Cali, how did this happen again?" Jacqui asked as she struggled with one of the splinters. I rolled my options over my tongue.

The truth? In front of the entire camp? Minus, Glenn…and Daryl….huh.

"I was picking up the tin cans for Dale, and I saw a spider. I flipped out and backed against a tree I didn't realize was there. All in all, pretty stupid huh?" I smiled to the women, who just glanced at each other.

"You jumped away from a spider?"

"And got all of these?"

"It was a freaking huge spider, alright?" I growled in an attempt to just have the subject matter die.

Die, be buried, and never thought of again. It would forever rot under the Georgian mud, until, one day, a thousand years from now, some crazy archeologist will dig it up. He'll then classify it as the subject that no one wanted to speak of, and no one needed to know. It will be placed in the museums, successfully embarrassing me in heaven. And maybe possibly embarrass Daryl, who will be burning in his own personal hell full of Asians.

_Holy hell California, I think it's about time you took a breather from the sun._ I mentally advised myself as my logic caught up with my thought process. Heat stroke, that was probably going to be the death of me.

Although, apparently, it looked like death by redneck was still an option.

I pounded my heads against the ground I was getting so up close and personal to. "Cali, honey, you sure you're alright?"

"Who knows." I lifted my head and met Lawman's eyes. "So where we off too?"

The camp seemed to exchange one long glance, then turned back to me. "Well, we're still not sure. We don't really have the supplies to cover both. And we don't know where to start."

"Well," Jacqui sighed "why not start with the CDC? It is a lot closer then Ft. Benning. Just in the city isn't it?"

"Technically." Shane nodded. "But it's probably gonna take a while not matter what. Maybe even a couple days. We're a lot of people to move down that intersection. Not to mention that we're going to have to clear the path, and siphon as much fuel as we can. We'll be on Walker alert the whole time."

"The going to Ft. Benning would be even worse wouldn't it?" I asked. "I mean, if we're in that much danger getting to Atlanta, then the hundred mile trip Ft. Benning offers is even worse."

"What? You on team CDC now?" Shane asked.

"I'm on team 'Haul Ass To The Mountains'." I smirked. Team HATTM.

Shane opened his mouth to respond, but looked behind me. "What in the holy hell happened to you two?"

I turned with the rest of the Camp Clueless to Daryl and Glenn, who had just walked out of the trees. Daryl's nose was bleeding, and he had a bruise forming along his jaw. His fist was bleeding and he looked pissed beyond all belief. Glenn's eye was swollen, and his lip had been split. It looked like he might have bruises on his skin, but he was too tan to tell. The two looked at each other. They were both covered in dirt, and a few twigs stuck to their clothes.

"Well?" Rick prodded.

"There was a bear." Glenn answered. I kept my eyes on Daryl, who looked at Glenn for a split second, then sighed.

"Yup. Fuckin' bear came out of nowhere."

"A bear?" Dale asked.

"Yup." Glenn popped the 'p'.

"It attacked you?"

"Tha's whut we said innit?" Daryl sighed.

"So you wrestled it?" Lori asked from where she was sitting. Glenn just stared at her with his wide puppy dog eyes.

"Woudn't you?"

The entire camp just stared at the two of them. Daryl cleared his throat. "Well, I'm gonn' go fix up my face."

He walked off, and Glenn seemed like he was trying to stab Daryl in the back with his gaze. T-Dog lifted his head. "Well where is it?"

"What?" Glenn asked, confused.

"The bear man, where's the bear?" I dropped my jaw, probably catching flies, like my mom had always told me not to do.

Did Camp Clueless actually _buy_ the bear excuse? Seriously?

"Oh, we lost it."

"You _lost_ the bear?"

"Yes?" Glenn tilted his head to the side, then walked off towards his tent.

The rest of us sat there, in silence for a good ten minutes. Shane finally cleared his throat.

"So, anyone buy the bear excuse?"

"Maybe if they had actually brought the bear back with them. That ain't cool man. I mean, that could have feed us for a very long time. You just don't joke about food like that." T-Dog shook his head.

"Why were they covered in dirt?" Sophia asked. Carol had no answer for her daughter.

"I think the heat starting to get to everyone." Dale blew out a breath and shook his head.

"You know what, we need to get back to the task at hand here, forget them. Task at hand here." Rick pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Momma! I wanna wrestle a bear!" Carl smiled. Lori winced.

I pushed myself up from the dirt. Okay, the bear excuse was in no was true. So I wanted the truth, but who to start with? That was the question.

.:.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in?" I stood outside the tent, feeling like I really shouldn't be there.

"Sure."

I walked in, and found Daryl with his head bent back and a shirt pressed to his nose. "What the hell happened to you."

"Ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

"That weird huh?"

"Ya have no fuckin' idea." he muttered and brought his head down.

"Lean foreword," I rolled my eyes. "You'll drown in your own blood if you lean back."

"Whut, are ya stupid or something? Ya gotta lean back."

"Are you calling my Mom stupid?" I crossed my arms. He glared at me over the shirt pressed to his nose.

"Ya callin' my Ma wrong? I've been in enough fights tuh know what works."

"You think I haven't?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Awh, little girl, I know ya haven't." he snorted.

"Yeah well, what do you call what happened in the woods?"

"Shit luck, tha's whut I'd call it."

"No," I groaned. "Not the whole…tree thing…the 'me being the shit out of you' thing."

"I wouldn't go so far as tuh say tha'."

"What? Too macho to admit that a girl hit you?"

I didn't understand what he muttered, but I picked of the words 'sick of bein' and 'threatened by girls'. Girls with an 's'? Meaning plural?

"Alright, we can debate your weakness later." I sat down next to him and reached for the bottle of whiskey, which was luckily where I had left it. I grabbed a shirt I had washed myself, and poured some of the amber liquid on it. Gently, I grabbed Daryl's hand and pressed the whole concoction against the several cuts he hand on his hand. "How did you get these?"

"Fuckin' bear."

"You don't expect me to believe that do you?"

"Fuck, I didn't believe it at first either. But let me tell ya. That was a fuckin' bear." he gingerly pressed the area around his nose.

"So, you punched a bear?"

"Apparently, and ya know what? Fucker hit back."

"How much sun did you take in today?" I shook my head as continued to clean out his hand. "You cut up anywhere else?" he shook his head.

"Jus' th' hand."

"Let me see your nose." I ordered. He moved his hands, his eyes looking to the corner of the tent. I poked it a few times, just to make sure it wasn't broken, then I looked at the bruise on the side of his face.

Looked eerily similar to a fist-like shape. And unless they had a run in with 'ManBearPig' I was willing to bet my deodorant that he didn't fight a bear. "That's one hell of a bruise." he shrugged.

Grrr. He was not making this easy, I wanted to know what happened, and I wanted to know now. "The bear did that?"

"Yup."

"Well, I hope it feels better." I murmured and pressed my lips against it. Daryl twitched, but other then that, managed to remain indifferent.

Well fuck, I think that was all I had in me. Visions of being beat against a tree were popping back in my head, and my shoulders screamed for mercy just at the memory. "Do you want to change your story?"

"Nah." he was looking at me funny now. A sideways glance, like usual. Not as scary as being under his gaze, but damn it all, I hated the hunter in this man.

"What?"

"Ya got any o' tha' cover up or whatever ya girls use?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't think we have the same skin tone there Daryl." I smirked. His eyes narrowed, but it took me a second to realized he was smirking back.

"Not fer me kid. Looks like I left ya a little something tuh remember me by on yer neck there." he pointed to my neck and smirked.

_I just want to die, sink in the dirk, fossil, embarrassment from heaven._ I thought to myself as the blood rushed to my face. "Yeah well, you kind of beat the shit out of me."

"Don't recall ya complinin'." He snorted, then winced.

Ha ha! Karma's a bitch!

"Yeah well…I uh, I gotta go…" I mumbled and got the fuck out of his tent quick. Once I was out, I pulled my hair from its perpetual knot and let it fall over my shoulders. I rearranged it so that the general area of the love bite would be covered.

I shuffled towards mine and Glenn's tent, head racing.

Fact, I kissed Best Friend Killer.

Fact, I really enjoyed it.

Fact, we were not compatible, we were destined to crash and burn at some point, and well, when you're dating a guy and it doesn't work out, you can just go your separate ways. When you're dating a guy, and you're one of about ten people and it doesn't work out, well then you're fucked.

Oh God, I wish I could call my mom. As trivial as this seemed, she would have no problem telling me exactly what I needed to do and how to do it. That way, I wouldn't have to think about this. I wouldn't have to weigh the pros and cons of what could possibly be something.

Or could possibly cause the deaths of four people in the campsite.

I just had a bad feeling about all of this, and I kind of wished I could go back…two days ago. I would've drilled a hole in the canoe…which would've prevented all of our problems of today.

I walked past the majority of Camp Clueless on the way to my tent when I heard Lawman sigh. "That settles is then, we're going to the CDC."

We are?

Fuck, that bad feeling just got worse.

**So, review! I mean, split personality!Glenn is pretty bad ass is he not? :) and those darn bears, bothering Camp Clueless like that! LOVE YOU ALL! -Eris**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note!: Finally! FF has been glitching something fierce! Anyways, here you go my little zombies! :D A new nickname, a guilt trip and car talk. Oh boy!**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own, but you know, they should totally look on this site for ideas. It's a treasure trove of good ideas!**

**Oh, and if you can tell me the song that Cali's quoting, then, you get to decide what happens at the CDC ;)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 11!: Guilt Is That Annoying Cousin You Invite Over Because You Have Too

*Cali*

"Hold still!" I ordered Glenn as I examined his black eye. It was kind of funny, we were almost twins. Except for the fact that Glenn had probably taken his black eye like a man, and mine wasn't black anymore…more like a nice healthy shade of yellow green.

Yay for jaundice looking eyes. I kept poking at Glenn's eye as he tried to move away from me, but our tent only allowed him so much space to move.

Looks like he's not the only sneaky bastard, I had my well thought out plans too.

"Don't poke it and I won't move!" I smirked as I remembered saying something eerily similar to Lori when she had begun poking and prodding me.

"I'll stop poking if you tell me what happened with you and Daryl in the woods."

"It was a bear."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

"Okay, say this bear does happen to show up in the woods, why in the hell would you attack it?"

"It attacked us first, and I didn't have anything on me, and Daryl didn't have his bow. So, logically-"

"Yes…logically…"

"-_Logically_ we had to defend camp. So we fought it."

"And it worked?" I could almost taste the skepticism on my tongue. Glenn nodded.

"I'm kind of a bad ass."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Like, you know, John Wayne, or Wyatt Errp!"

"You would like westerns…" I rolled my eyes. "Must be why you and Rick get along so well."

"Might be. He fancies himself a cowboy."

"Alrghty Glenn, I just have one more teeny tiny question for you."

"Shoot." he leaned back against our bags, which were packed to their fullest in preparation for the great CDC migration that Camp Clueless would be attempting tomorrow morning. He shot me a cocky little grin.

"What were you and Daryl doing in the woods in the first place?"

His sharp eyes narrowed even more as he thought about my question. "You're too smart for your own good."

"'I bought property on the thin line between 'Genius' and 'Insanity'." I quoted one of my favorite songs. Glenn only rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll believe the insanity part. Look, what happens between dudes, stays between dudes. And you know what, we reached an understanding. Smooth sailing from here."

"So…Daryl did that to you?" I tugged on one of my many string bracelets. Glenn half nodded, half shrugged. "Wait…so that means…his nose…and jaw."

Glenn only smirked.

"Okay, there is _no_ way you're just a pizza boy." I lifted my hands above my head. "You gotta be like, sent from the Korean government to overthrow America or something!" Glenn only rolled his eyes.

"I don't even speak Korean."

"Doesn't matter. I know the truth my friend. Special Agent Ninja Porno Pizza Boy." I smirked. Glenn turned four shades of red as his jaw dropped.

"Special Agent _what!_"

"Sorry Glenn, what happens between chicks, stays between chicks." I gave him my own shit eating grin and flopped down on my sleeping bag. Reaching under my pillow (read: sweatshirt curled into a semicircle) and poured a half pill onto my palm.

"Crazy."

"Porn star." I jeered as I dropped the half pill in to my mouth, and chased it with a shot of whiskey that I may or may not have stolen from Daryl "Love you Glenn."

"Love you too Cali."

.:.

"Come on people! Up and at 'em! We ain't got all day now! We wanna get to the CDC pronto!" Shane's cheerful voice pulled me from my blissfully drugged slumber, and back into the real world. Which involved a road trip.

Awh screw it all.

I was not a human being that was built for cars…I liked movement too much. I had this weird little…'quirk'. I liked knowing where everything was. Maybe it was OCD, maybe it was some instinct I'd had since I was a kid and that whole 'insomnia starting issue' happened. I wasn't really sure, but I had a thing for knowing where things were.

At the camp, it wasn't really that bad. It was a wide area, so I had been able to scout it out without looking too insane. But a car…well, you can imagine how bad that was going to end up.

Usually, when being aware of an impending car ride, I splurged on some Nyquil. That way, I'd be dead pretty much the entire car trip, and not bug the hell out of anyone.

Today, however appeared to not be the case.

Well, shit. Maybe someone knew if any of the local plants or whatever could knock me out without actually killing me. That'd be nice, it would prevent any real problem. And I was tired enough to drift right through a car ride.

I would use my pills, but how was I supposed to know when I'd get to stock up again? In order to make them last, I had split them all in half, and was taking them with whiskey to make them last as long as I possibly could. It was working now, but the whole 'immunity' thing could kick in at any time, and I just wanted to be able to sleep.

"Cali," Glenn groaned. "Get up."

"Shhh!" I hissed. "I'm figuring some shit out here."

"Figure it out faster. I need to pack up the tent."

"Alright." I sighed and got out of my tent, and shed the oversized green shirt that had become my property. Hunter be damned. I reached into my bag and pulled out a blue tank top, and a black shirt to wear over it. My shorts followed close behind, and I tied my shoes up. I grabbed one of the water bottles me and Glenn kept in the tents, and brushed my teeth.

"Cover up?" Glenn mentioned, pointing at my neck. I pulled the pretty much useless make up bag out of my duffle and rummaged through the contents. I hadn't really touched any of it (save for the eyeliner, because I am a vain, vain human being) since being saved from the first tree, but now I was grateful for it.

The small mirror that was connected to the powder allowed my to search my neck.

Oh hell, that was…dark….

The purple mark could've passed for black, and it was only one of a few marks I had to show for the infamous 'Tree Incident'. the mark, and the scrapes on the back of my legs from the bark, and the little pinpricks on my shoulders from the splinters. Which explains the black shirt I was wearing over my tank top.

Lucky redneck. All his marks would be hidden under his shirt…I hadn't exactly been cuddly with his back.

I began to smear as much powder as I could on that mark, but it still seemed to scream 'LOOK AT ME! CALI IS AN EASY LITTLE WHORE!'

Which, in all honestly, wasn't the truth in the slightest thank you very much! I might take any and all opportunities presented to me, but damn it all, I was choosey when it came to who I uncrossed my legs for. Only two guys had every made the cut. One of them was my boyfriend.

_Oh shit._ My body grew cold as those thoughts made their way to the front of my head. My boyfriend. My sweet boyfriend. How terrible could I get?

"You okay?" Glenn asked from where he was pulling on his own shirt.

"Is it cheating, if you don't technically break up with someone, they just…they die?" I asked, looking at him hard. He chewed the inside of his mouth.

"Got anymore specifics for me?"

"Not that I feel like jumping into."

"Well, shoot. I suppose, that it's a personal decision at that point. I mean, it's not like he's alive for you to be cheating on right?" I nodded. There was no way he was. "Then it's your own choice. You act accordingly to what you actually feel."

"You're a wise little bastard, aren't ya?" I asked with a smile. He smirked.

"I do happen to have some rather nice redeeming qualities. Now get the eff out of my tent. I wanna pack it up."

"Yes sir Special Agent." I grabbed my repacked bag and crawled out of the tent. I wandered over towards the center of camp, not really sure what I should be doing. Looked like everyone with a car was doing something.

My head was still racing with the guilt and thoughts. I really liked, possibly loved Wade, and he was dead. Just like everyone else from my hometown. Dead and gone. Maybe even a Walker. Although I hoped God loved Wade enough to prevent him that fate.

My boyfriend would've run for the fields. I know he would've. He loved those fields. That's where he'd first told me he liked me, asked me out, first kiss, first time we hooked up. The fields. That was our place, that's where he felt safe.

_If you can lay under the grass just right, no one can see you. You disappear. You free yourself._ he had explained once after I had asked him why the fields. _Just like your thing with trees._

While that boy had been running for his life, I had been hiding in a tree.

When he had been stumbling around as a Walker, I had been moments from allowing a man I barely knew take me. Against a _tree_ no less.

"Hey sweet pea, you alright?" I looked up and was a bit more then surprised to see Lori of all people staring down at me.

I weighted my options, then decided on the truth. "Moral issues. Feel like being a surrogate advice giver?" I gave her a small smile. She nodded at sat down next to me.

"What's up?"

"Okay, say you were with someone. And they were dead. You knew this for a _fact._ You never broke up or anything, but they died. There obviously can't be a relationship. Now, what if there was someone else, someone you think you can trust. And you might've gone too far with that person already. Is it cheating? Am I hurting the one I was with?"

Lori's eyes were wide, and somewhat guilty, but I couldn't tell you why. She stared at the ground for a long time before speaking. "Death is hard. And you just need to make sure that they are dead. You need to know, because you don't want to make that assumption on blind faith now. You need to make sure. No one wants to make that mistake. So as for the other man, doesn't matter how much you trust him. As long as there's even a slim little chance that your boy is still alive, then you still belong to that boy."

She spoke with conviction, and understanding of a concept I didn't quite grasp. However, I think that she just might be right. I'd have to find out for sure if Wade was dead or not. There was a one in a million shot he was, and I really did have shit luck, so he couldn't be alive.

Of course, the bigger shit luck would me to completely give myself to Daryl, only to find out Wade was alive and well.

"I think you're right ma'am." I smiled, using the Georgian etiquette that I been working to pick up. She nodded her approval.

"So, you feel like riding with the camp?" she asked. "Lord knows that Carl and Sophia will be bored on that ride with all the adults." she gave me a grin.

So basically, I was needed to baby sit. But I didn't mind. That would save me the trouble of even considering riding with Daryl.

Maybe I could avoid this problem, and it would all just disappear.

Right underneath blades of grass, I could free myself of this guilt.

.:.

_Knock. _

"Are you kidding me?" I groaned as a huge grin split Carl's face. We were playing 31, and that boy had to be the luckiest person I had ever met. He still had four quarters, and my last one was hanging on this hand.

"Twenty even." I sighed, dropping my card.

"Twenty nine."

"What?" I threw my hands in the air. Glenn only rolled his eyes.

"You suck at this stuff Cali."

"I know, I know." I dropped my head in my hands as the RV hit another bump in the road, and my knees smacked into the table we were sitting at. "Oh shi-"

The two children and their mother's glanced at me instantly. "-P. Oh ship." I managed to spit out last minute. They only nodded and went back to their game.

I excused myself from the table, and made the slight trek down the 'hallway' of the RV. No one was really going towards the back, that's where Jim was. Each time we hit a bump, I could hear the man cry out in pain.

I debated between my two forms of calming myself down. Tugging on the bracelet, and chomping on the nail. The nail won this round as I leaned against a wall, trying to stay out of everyone's way. I tried looking out the windshield, but all that gave me a view of was Shane's jeep, and the city we would soon be approaching.

Which meant Daryl was behind us. I had thought about talking to him, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was…I don't even know right now.

_God, just go ahead and smite me._ I silently begged the sky.

The RV suddenly skidded to a stop, throwing everyone foreword.

_Oh man! Oh man! I kid! I kid! Please don't kill me!_

"Sorry about that folks!" Dale sighed, and headed out the door. Glenn got up too, and gestured for me to follow. We walked along side Dale as he opened up the old thing's engine. He sighed as he examined the damage. "The belt is done."

"Weren't you going to replace that?" Glenn asked. Dale nodded.

"Well, that was before Merle took off with our cube van." he sighed. "We should probably look for another one. California?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind going to see if Daryl has one? When he and Merle first showed up, they had various car parts in that truck, for some reason."

"Uh…sure…" I winced. "I'll get right on that."

I shuffled back towards the end of the caravan, where Daryl sat in his car. I walked to the window, and he rolled it down. "Th' fuck's goin' on?"

"Dale's RV broke it's uh…belt…thingy."

"Th' serpentine belt?"

"Uh…" I tried my hardest to pull what I knew about cars to the front of my brain.

1. Cars drive you places.

2. They are loud.

3. Mine sucked.

That was all I got.

"Maybe? It broke."

"Alrigh'…anything else?" he was looking at me like I was retarded.

"Do you have a belt…thingy?" I asked. The truck was a mess, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled Jimmy Hoffa out of there anytime soon.

"Doubt it. Might have tuh jus' go lookin' round fer one."

"Help me?" I smiled. He rolled his eyes, but reached for the door.

He took my to at least four different cars, and each one he said that the belt wouldn't work. Hell, I couldn't even tell where the belt was, so I was up for taking his word for it. Finally, he found a belt that would match, so long as it could fit. He unhooked it from the car and handed it to me, and started back towards his truck. I reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Damn it all.

"You found it," I smiled. "Come take the credit."

"Naw, 'M fine. Really." he started back towards the truck, when arguing drew both of our attentions back towards the RV. Looks like Daryl likes drama as much as the rest of us, because he followed me back towards the RV.

Rick was helping Jim out of the RV, and lead him over near a tree.

"What's Rick doing?"

"Jimbo's doin' the right thing. Takin' himself outa th' equation." Daryl answered, leaning against the back of the RV. My jaw dropped.

He couldn't do that! We were going to the CDC for him weren't we! Yet, he was just willing to sit under a tree, until the fever and the disease took him.

Jim looked so sad, so broken under that tree. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he couldn't seem to shake it off. He just wanted relief, but was too afraid to ask someone to end it for him. No matter how much he wanted to.

"H-hey…Daryl?" I looked up at the hunter. He gave me another sideways glance.

He would do it for me, if I asked. I'd be willing to bet he felt the same way. I couldn't survive like that, and I wouldn't want to. Besides, if I was being completely honest with myself, this would be the only man for the job. He'd saved my ass twice now, and he seemed to look after me like I was almost 'implied' if you will, property. Property he was hell-bent on not damaging. No matter the cost.

"Nia? Ya got sumtin' ya wanna say?"

"If I ever get bit, can you promise me you'll put a bullet through my brain, first thing?"

"Whut th' fuck ya talkin' 'bout?" he had turned to look at me full on now, confusion finally staining his eyes.

"If I get bit, I want you to kill me okay?"

"Nia-"

"I'm serious." I looked down. "I'm not as strong as Jim. I need to be put out right then and there. Or I'll go insane. Okay?"

He sighed, but gave the slightest nod. I turned back towards him, and held out my pinky. He rolled his eyes. "No' again."

"Please." I whispered. He growled, but he complied, and his pinky slid into mine. "Promise."

"Nia-"

"Please do it."

"Fine. If ya git bit, I promise tuh take care of ya."

"By?"

"Shit." he groaned. "I promise tuh but th' bullet in yer head." he mumbled. But he said it.

"Thank you." I smiled, and dropped my hand. However, my hand made no move to release his finger, and apparently, his didn't either.

They remained twisted together, until the rest of his fingers followed.

Clutching onto his hand only made me feel guiltier, but right now, I needed something to hold onto. Something constant.

He gave me a less sharp smirk, that could've maybe passed as a smile.

As much I felt like I was lying to him, I smiled back. And hoped that I would be able to corner him at the CDC, because there were some things we needed to work out, that couldn't really wait any longer.

Something I would address after I made a phone call.

**Okay, I had to move my thanks yous down here, because well, you guys are that awesome :)**** I would also like to express how many times I read the phrase 'rough and tough' when reading your reviews…I love it!**

**Lucy Freebird- Consider it done :)**** however, the moon might be a wee bit difficult, ;)**

**Willoeshine- oh you know as well as the rest of us that Glenn is definitely a secret bad ass! It just fits him so well!**

**Rickii101- Gotta love a good ol' fashioned BS story :D**

**GingerGidget- Ah yes, the strangeness that is Cali's inner thoughts. I'm glad you like it! **

**CaptianMc- I just honestly could not resist xD**

**Shivering Tree- Thank you! And speaking for Cali, she loves your name ;)**

**Kdk2013- How could I not add that! Too perfect :)**

**Constantlylost-Your request has been accepted, just be ready for a shock ;)**

**Viktorskrumpet- My dear, I'm very glad you enjoy this so much :D you can breathe now ;)**

**LillianaKay2011- Glenn has to have a rough and tough side in there somewhere!**

**UrWorstNightmare97- Thank you! Epic is a fantastic word :)**

**Jac Danvers-Tension is a good word to describe their relationship, and I can assure you, there will be more of it on the way!**

**PeytonLane- Oh dear, I hope this satisfied you :)**** no need to do that 'something' ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note!: First, and foremost, OMFG! WE REACHED OVER ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! :DDDDDDDDDDD! You know, funny story, my goal for the **_**whole**_** story was the big 1-0-0...so obviously, this means I have the most amazing readers in the world :] So, right now, I want all of you out there to pack yourselves on the back, and say "I'm awesome!" :D everyone take a moment are realize just how awesome you are!**

**Secondly, the song that so aptly explains our dear Cali was indeed "Howard" by Bayside :] They just happen to be my favorite band, and I will be shamelessly plugging them right now :] look them up, I mean, might as well! The title of this story is also a Bayside song, and it's the song I was listening too when Cali popped into my head, so give it a listen if you feel so inclined :D**

**Disclaimer!: Believe me folks, if I owned this show, we wouldn't have to wait until October to wait to find out what happened!**

Chapter 12!: It's The Calming Before The Storm, Alcohol Sits Nicely In Your Stomach Warm

*Cali*

The overall 'funness' that the road trip held before, what most definitely cut short by the abandonment of Jim. None of the adults wanted to talk, and Carl and Sophia just sat at the table, eyes cast down, unable to grasp the understanding of the situation.

But, to be fair, I was having a difficult time of it myself.

On the other hand again, no one really grasped it. This was unlike anything we had ever faced before, and the magnitude of our situation…well…it wasn't exactly painted in a very good light.

I've been in plenty of situations where the tension was to thick, you could cut it with a knife. But right now, in the confined space of the RV, with everyone who didn't have their own car? I could practically taste it.

Fear, mixed with anger, mixed with paranoia.

I wonder which one of those were the most dangerous.

"How long we got?" Jacqui asked, Dale glanced back at her from the mirror.

"I'd say, we only got another five miles to go."

I leaned back against the cupboard, and glanced at Glenn, who kept pulling off his hat, only to put it back on. "You nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Least you got a gun." I attempted a smile, and glanced over at my bat. It had been liberated from Glenn's care, and he had even spent a couple evenings back in the quarry teaching me the best way to use it.

"_Just be really careful alright, the thing with a bat is, if you're close enough to use it, you're too damn close." _that was his brilliant advice as he handed me the aluminum life saver.

It was a good one too apparently, looks like little Glenny had stopped by a sporting goods store on his scavenging outings.

"Yeah…well, there's no denying that. I will need that gun." he grinned. "But hey, after I'm done saving your life, maybe we could play ball with a Walker head or two. Since that's pretty much all you're good for."

"You best watch your tone!" I stuck my pointer finger out at him. "I have seen _every_ Mob movie out there, and let me tell you, I could give you a genuine Brooklyn beat down if I need to."

"Really now?"

"You have no fu-" Two pairs of maternal eyes cut to me. "-dging idea!" I quickly amended. "No fudging idea."

Boy I was not on a roll with them lately.

Glenn only rolled his eyes, and our attention was refocused towards the windows, where the green foliage that had done it's job in protecting us has become more and more sparse, while the concrete and train tracks began to take over and create a new landscape.

The entire RV seemed to hold it's breath.

"CDC or bust!"

"Cali…Shut up." someone laughed.

Someone who sounded suspiciously like Carl.

.:.

Dale parked the RV, and turned back to us. I was in the middle of a staring contest with the CDC. The building was bigger then I expected, with so many windows. Windows, that had somehow managed to remain untouched by the destruction of the surrounding areas.

"Alright people," Rick sighed, standing up. The Lawman looked a little nervous himself. "Take what you can now, and we'll come back for the rest later. Those of you with weapons, well, they sure couldn't hurt at this point. Now, we move up there, and we do it fast. Stay as quiet as you can, and do not panic. Easier said then done, I know, but the Walkers can see movement, and they are attracted to loud noises. So quiet and calm. Can we do that?"

Everyone nodded, more or less. As everyone formed a queue, I grabbed my bat.

Like the Lawman said, couldn't hurt right?

I took my spot behind Lori, and front of Glenn, and marched on.

It was nice to be back in fresh air…well it would've been, if the air hadn't reeked of death and decay. I had to switch over to mouth breathing once that first wave had assaulted my nose.

Shane, Daryl and T-Dog met up with us, and we began the jog towards the CDC. Quiet. I was focused on staying quiet, alert, and not throwing up.

All three of my objectives got even harder once we approached the doors to the CDC, and were met with the bodies of several soldiers. Blood, bullet casings and guns littered the area. Hell, we should stock up here before we leave. There were enough guns for the entire camp.

Lawman ran to the front of the building and froze. "It's locked!"

"What the hell do you mean it's locked!"

"It can't be locked!"

"Shut up!" Shane hissed.

Locked? Oh come on! This was just getting ridiculous…the CDC was locked. And locked tight by the look of it. My grip around the bat got tighter.

All we had to do was stay calm. Right?

"Walker!" Daryl growled, and the group turned their heads. Sure enough, there were some geeks right on their way over. And shot rang out, and the Walker dropped dead.

Shit, maybe we should invest in some silencers or something!

"Come on man, let's go!" Shane ordered Lawman as he tried to pull him away.

"No! Look! We're okay! The camera moved!"

"Those things are automatic! Come one!" he turned to the rest of us. "Get ready to run back!"

_You want us to run _towards_ the army of Walkers headed this way?_

"Open up!" Rick screamed at the door, which was really not helping with the whole 'quiet and calm' game plan. "OPEN UP! YOU'RE KILLING US! YOU'RE KILLING US!"

"Let's go!" Shane grabbed Rick around the waist and started to pull him back, the rest of us already on our way back towards the cars.

That's when there was a metallic sound added to the cacophony of sounds already ringing, and a blinding light poured from the building. Like the fucking entrance to Heaven.

Or Narnia.

"Move!" Rick ordered. Hell, I didn't need to be told twice, and apparently, neither did Camp Clueless, they hauled ass into that building, only to freeze once they got inside.

We had made it in.

The lobby was huge, and clean, and reminded me of something similar to a doctor or dentist's office. Decorative tile, potted plants, the works.

The group squished closer together, and surveyed the area. "Hello?" Rick called. The sound of a gun cocking echoed through the huge area, only to be reiterated by the men in our group.

"Are any of you infected?" A figure called from the shadows.

"One of our group was." Rick responded. "He didn't make it."

_Why the hell did you tell him that!_

The man walked into the light now, looking us over. He was tall, blonde, and pale. How was that possible, then again, Andrea and…

"Blood tests are the admission ticket."

"We can respect that."

"Alright. Well. Go get anything you have left. Once those doors close, they won't open again."

A few man ran to get the rest of our stuff, and Glenn, never one to fail me, tossed me my bag as he walked back into the building. Rick walked over to the man, and held out his hand. "Rick Grimes."

The man stared at his hand. "Jenner. Doctor Edwin Jenner." he looked at all of us again. "Come with me.

Not seeing much other choice, the rest of us followed him into an elevator.

Now, elevator rides are awkward in any situation, but you take a small metal box, and add in two cops, a battered woman, a black man, a racist, a ninja porno pizza boy, two kids, an old man and a doctor with a gun longer then my leg…Then it's a recipe for awkward so strong, it makes you want to bang your head against the wall, rather then endure it.

There wasn't even any cheese ball elevator music.

"Doctors always pack heat like tha?" Daryl asked, looking at the gun with a mix of suspicion and envy.

"There were plenty lying around. I familiarized myself with it. But you all seem pretty harmless." his eyes dropped to Carl. "Except you…I'll be watching you."

"Good instincts." I muttered, and Carl made a face at me. I made one back.

Because, I have the mentality of a nine year old apparently.

The elevator finally stopped, only to lead into a small, narrow hallway.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked.

"You claustrophobic?"

"A little."

"Try not to think about it then." he smiled. The hallway lead into a huge metal room that looked like something you'd see in a sci-fi movie or something. A bunch of computers, everything chrome. A computer that turned on the lights.

Pretty epic.

"Welcome to section five." Jenner sighed, and threw out his arms.

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked. "The other doctors? The staff?"

"I'll admit. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori asked. I mentally face palmed my Camp. How old were they? I mean, wasn't that obvious?

"Vi. Say hello to our guests. Tell them, 'Welcome.'"

The computer repeated Jenner's message to us, and Dale looked like he was about one second from calling witchery on Jenner.

"I'm all that's left." the Good Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry…now, blood tests."

Needles? Oh shit.

.:.

Glenn walked next to me as we followed Jenner to wherever he was taking us now. He must've felt bad for us, after the whole 'Andrea almost passing out from hunger' thing. I kept checking at the tiny hole in my arm from the needle. "That hurt!"

"That didn't hurt."

"You didn't look so rough and tough up there either."

"Yeah? At least I didn't try to kick Jenner!"

"I told him I was sorry!"

"I don't get you! You can take a punch from Ed, stand up to Daryl, climb a tree in record time, wield a bat against the undead-"

"You forgot breathtakingly hot."

"-But you can't take a needle?"

"I spent some time in the hospital when I was a kid. IV after IV. Forgive me if I don't like needles. It's a legitimate fear!"

"Not worth kicking the man who saved our lives…"

"I _almost_ kicked him. That's a little better."

"Not by much…" Glenn's voice trialed off as we arrived at our final destination. Food. Holy hell, there was food!

We tried to maintain some humanity by walking calmly to the food, and by God, if that wasn't willpower, I don't know what was. But as soon as we sat down, it was on.

Not only was there food, but there was wine.

_Thank you God!_

Dale began to pass out cups of that, liberally too, and he even included me. Carl protested, and everyone got into a huge debate on alcohol and children.

"Now now, in Italy, children are allowed to drink!" Dale threw out there.

"Yeah, well, when Carl goes to Italy, he can have some there." Lori shot us down. "Same for you Cali."

"Excuse me? I can hold my own here, thank you den mother." I smirked and emptied my glass, just to prove the point. Glenn rolled his eyes.

"Just give him a little." Rick urged his wife, once he was done laughing at me. "Come on, what could it hurt?"

"I…okay."

"Here you are, my good man." Dale smiled and gave him a little. Carl took in the mouthful, and gagged.

"Ewww!"

"That's my boy." Lori smiled as everyone cracked up.

"It grows on you Carl. Just wait until you get accepted to College." I winked at him.

"You might just want to stick to soda pop there bud." Shane sniggered.

"Not you Glenn." Daryl spoke up from where he was nursing a bottle of Southern Comfort.

"What?"

"Come on lil' man, drink up. I wann' see how red yer face can git." the table 'ooh'ed and Glenn took a bold drink.

"Come on Glenn, do it like you know how!" I ordered him. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Why don't you show me how it's done, resident alcoholic?"

"I dare you. In fact, I challenge you."

"Well fine. Toss me that bottle Daryl."

"Nah, screw ya, this here's mine."

"Come on Hicktown, just pass it here." I held out my hand, and the bottle was tossed to me. I popped the cap off. "Now, what's the challenge."

Glenn turned to Jenner, "Got any shot glasses?"

The Good Doctor returned with three. He set them down in front of me. Glenn smirked. "Name game."

"What is that?"

"Take as many shots as in your first name."

"You ass!" I scoffed. "C A L I F O R N I A? That's ten shots!"

"You can just do Cali then, but they have to be back to back. No stopping."

"Can I just do 'Nia'? There's only three glasses anyways."

"That's not fair." he scoffed. "No one calls you that."

"I'm ruling it fair." Dale said, with a very amused smile. "Daryl only calls her Nia."

"Come on Cali!"

"Show us what college taught you!"

"Let's do it." I smiled, and poured the shots up to the very top.

"Ready?"

"Set?"

"Go!" The table (Minus the Maternal Minions) cheered.

I grabbed the first shot and tossed it back. The liquid scorched down my throat, much worse then I remembered, but hell, my _pride_ was on the line here. I took back the next one, ignoring the tears that had gathered up at the corners of my eyes. The table was cheering. It was just like being back at school.

The last shot I took too fast, and had to fight to keep down, but the embarrassment of choking, in front of Glenn, Daryl and the rest of the camp was just too much. I swallowed that sucker, and smacked the glass down.

"I rock." I coughed. "Remember that."

I was also feeling warm. Very, very warm.

"That's a real great example there Cali." Lori shook her head.

"Hey Carl, do as I say, not as I do, okay?" I smiled. He nodded and grinned. I took a pull from the bottle, then gave it back to Daryl. He clumsily reached for it.

Looks like Best Friend Killer was drunk as a duck.

"Now now," Rick stood up. "Seems like we need to gather our manners, and thank our host."

"He's more then just our host."

"Here here!" the table echoed for Jenner, who smiled, and held up his glass too.

"Booyah!" Daryl threw out there.

Oh yeah, he was drunk.

The rest of the table just laughed, and copied his cheer.

"So when the hell you going to tell us what happened here Doc? To you, and the rest of the others. Weren't you trying to figure out what was going on here?" Shane asked, staring at his glass of wine.

"Buzzkill!" I hissed. Glenn nudged me. Not my fault, when I'm drunk, my little brain filter shuts down, I'm more honest then fucking Abe.

Shane then gets bitchy with Rick, who gets bitchy back, and I just take in more wine. I can't deal with their girl drama. Not today.

Finally, Jenner speaks. Tells us how the workers left to be with their families when things got bad. And when things got worse, they…opted out. In his words.

"You stayed." Andrea pointed out. "Why did you stay?"

"I kept working." He answered. "Hoping. To do some good."

"Dude, you _are_ such a buzz kill man." A little tipsy Glenn sighed as he dropped into his seat.

.:.

"Alright, so, the facility has pretty much powered down. Which includes housing. So you'll have to make due here. Couches are comfortable. And there's some cots in storage. Oh, a rec room for the kids, but hey, no plugging in the video games. And that goes for the rest of you! And if you shower, go easy on the hot water." Jenner instructed us, as we were lead down another hallway.

Well, the camp was lead. I was being 'slightly supported' by Glenn. Who turned to look at me.

"Hot water?"

"That's what the man said!" T-Dog grinned.

"Thank God!" I smiled. "I'm not sure how much of my tan is actually tan anymore!"

"Cali, that's gross." Glenn snickered.

"Says the guy who hasn't showered in two months!" I retorted, a little slurred. "So where we staying?" I asked him.

Glenn lead me to a room, and dropped me on the couch. "I get first shower!"

"That's not fair!"

"It is!" he grinned lewdly at me. "Why dontcha just go ask to hop in the shower with Daryl?"

"Glenn, I'm too drunk to fuck right now." I moaned.

"Come on Cali! You're never to fuck to drunk!" He grinned as he walked towards the bathroom. "Wait…no…you're never too luck to fuck…wait…no…"

"Don't hurt yourself." I giggled.

After a few minutes, I heard the water running, and I reached into my bag, and pulled out my phone.

"Now or never Wade." I slurred, and turned the little device on for the first time in two months. I set it on the table, and held my breath as the screen lit up.

**Thank yous!**

**Constanlylost- Awh! Hand holding rocks :] and I can promise that it will be shocking, to say the least!**

**Assiage- I had to look up what Tabula Rasa was. I dug it. And I laughed when I read your review, because whenever I work on a chapter for this, it's totally finished in the wee hours of the morning :] people do their best thinking at four am!**

**Viktorskrumpit- What can I say? :] I love my saints! I hope I didn't disappoint!**

**Rickii101- Now if I told you, it wouldn't be foreshadowing, would it? :]**

**Elizabeth- Thank you! I'll spit them out as fast as I can!**

**LillianaKay2011- Yes, a conscious is a bitch, isn't it? :] and you guessed it, so you tell me! Do you want the shock and awe pathway? Or the high tension pathway! :D**

**Lucy Freebird- I do love your love :] lol enjoy!**

**Willoeshine- I baby sit, so the Shi-p thing happens quite often :D and it was too ironic for her not to ask Lori! And besides, no one likes Lori, so I thought I'd throw her a bone :] and the little Cali that lives in my head says thank you for not thinking she's a whore, and she would love it if Minty could find her something to knock her the fuck out!**

**Amanda- Why thank you for the review! :D I'm glad Cali doesn't bother you!**

**PeytonLane- My dear, you will be receiving some yummyness!**

**TayaHearts- Ding Ding Ding! Same for you, shock and awe, or high tension? And thanks! My characters thank you was well!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

***Hearts!* Eris**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note!: Oh my God, I am so evil ;) and that's all I really have to say!**

**Oh, no wait. It's not. So I'm nearing the end of the season, and I do have some ideas for what they could do after the CDC, but I don't want this story to have like a bajillion chapters, so what do you readers think? Hiatus this feller until October, but write a different story with Cali and Camp Clueless, slap a big old AU on it and keep going with that on until they start season two? Good idea? Let me know! And thanks to Willoeshine for her brilliant idea!**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own TWD, and after this, you might not want me too ;) And sorry if this one is so short!**

Chapter 13!: Looks Like I Had A Damn Rough Night

*Daryl*

"An' tha's another bottom of a bottle." I smirked and tossed the empty bottle from my hand. It hit the ground of the room I'd found empty with a clank, and I yawned.

I should probably get dressed.

The shower had been a fuckin' Godsend, I didn't even realized how much I missed being clean until I was actually clean. Been a good long while, that was for sure. Even eased the strain that was on some of my muscles.

Maybe Grimes isn't as stupid as I thought he was.

The only downside to all of this perfection, for lack of a better word, was the fact that Merle wasn't here to see this either. I wondered where he was daily, that was my brother, and I didn't even know if he was dead or not.

Well, he sure ain't dead. Spite will keep the ol' bear alive longer than any medicine would. He won't roll over and die until he punches Grimes right in the face. Can't fuckin' wait for that shit.

Oh right, clothes.

I forced myself off the couch, and towards my bag of clothes. Everything looked fuckin' nasty, and the last thing I wanted was to drag some nasty jeans on after that shower. The only things that looked halfway decent were my boxers, so I suppose those were the winners.

Pulling those on, I also found a shirt that looked like it was proabaly some poor sap who used this room before he offed hisself or somethin' like it.

I opted to look around the place, seeing as we might be here for some time, I wanted to know what areas would be the weak spot, and the places to hide on the chance Walkers did get in.

Not to mention find some more Southern Comfort, can't never have a bit too much comfort.

Looked like the hallway was alright, small, and the everyone was just hanging around everywhere. Spread out, looking around.

Good, the better those idiots knew their surroundings the easier an attack would be. The chink came stumbling down the hall, a bottle of the good stuff in his hand. I raised my eyebrow as he gave me a drunken grin, his hair was soaked.

"Duuude!" he laughed. "Wanna polish this off for me? I don't think I'm gonna finish it anyways." He snickered as he pushed the bottle into my chest.

"O…kay?"

"Yeah! Oh, dude, have you seen Cali? She was in our room when I got in the shower, but when I got out…poof!" he held up empty palms to my face. "No Cali. Nada. Heh. You should tell her the shower's open if she wants it."

"Alright…"

"My face isn't red!" he stuck his finger in my face. "It's oriental! Get it right!"

Then the chink stumbled down the hall, singing "My anaconda don't want none, if you ain't got no buns, hon!"

"Weird little fucker." I grumbled, and kept looking around. There were a bunch of door that lead into empty closets. Pretty standard place.

I took a pull off of the bottle, and walked by another supply closet.

This one sniffed.

_Winner winner chicken dinner _I thought to myself as I knocked on the door. There was some movement, then the door opened. Nia was standing there, looking drunk, and like she had been crying. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Been here long?"

"Seems like it." She eyed my bottle. "Wanna share?"

"Wanna tell me whut's wrong?"

"Secret."

"Then ya ain't getting no Comfort." I held the bottle above her head. She growled, but then opened the door wider. She walked back over the cot she must have been sitting on.

"Pop a squat Daryl, you might as well."

"What's got ya down? Seems tuh me this's been a pretty good day, all things considered." I sighed as I took a seat next to her on the cot.

"I turned on my phone, for the first time, in…shit, months? Yeah, it's been months. Anyways. I had service. I got everything I missed. 111 missed calls. 265 texts. I just read through them all." Her eyes were hard as she reached for my bottle and took a pull. "Things aren't good back home."

"Where ya from?"

"Small town Wyoming. And in a state where cows outnumber people, that's saying something isn't it? Powell. Right outside of Cody. Nothing much in that town, but we have our basics."

"Whut'd yer phone have tuh say?"

"A lot." was her only response. "Found out a lot." She tossed me her phone, then stole my bottle. I saw her practically pour the bottle into her mouth. I looked down at the small screen.

"Who's Wade?"

She winced, and brought the bottle up once more. "My boyfriend."

"Oh." was my clever response. Fuck, she had a boyfriend? Fuckin' kidding me?

"Just fucking read it." She whimpered, bringing her knees up to her chest. I looked at the phone.

**From: Wade!3**

**Hey, Cali. God I miss you. They kept calling me stupid you know? After the first month, and we didn't hear from you…they told me you were dead. And, you probably are, so that makes this a little better doesn't it? That way, I'll be able to meet you at the end of this. **

**Something happened back here. Like I told you in the other messages, we were holed up in the high school. Lame right? After all our hard work to get out of there, and boom. Back there again. Anyways, I went out to get us some food. We were running out. Still are. And you know there's some distance from PHS to Blair's. we went there how many times when we skipped. Anyways, I went back to get some food. And baby, I got bit. **

**I tried to protect myself baby I did. I just didn't see that one coming. I'm stuck in my own head right? Wasn't that always what bugged you the most? Well, you sure were right about that.**

**So I went back to the school. I had too. I still had the food. **

**I talked to Coach J. he had to live, right? Meanest teacher alive…always does. Anyways, I was talking to him, and he gave me my options. They weren't pretty baby. I took the one that would hurt me the least. Because, you know how much I dislike pain…well, unless you're the one causing it. ;]**

**So I'm waiting it out. I feel like hell baby. The fever, the shaking. I hate it, but I think I'm almost done for, that's why I'm sending you this. That was, in case I don't see you when I finally pass. You'll have this. I know you'd want to know, the way I want to know what happened to you. **

**But as soon as I pass, Coach's putting a bullet in my brain, and throwing me in the kiln. I know it sounds brutal, but that's just what has to be done. It has to be done baby. I'm sorry. So sorry. **

**I know we never said it. But I love you. I do. **

"Oh."

"He's dead. They're all dead." she sniffed.

"Thought ya said they was dead already. Back when we firs' met."

"I convinced myself they were. Easier to survive that way." She emptied my bottle for the next twenty minutes. She tossed the empty bottle off the cot, and winced as it connected with the floor. "It didn't hurt much when I gave up on them, so why does it hurt so bad that they gave up on me?"

"Because first one was a lie. Second one's th' truth. Truth always hurts more."

"Yeah, well, fuck them. Now I really am alone, aren't I?"

"Well, if ya wann' be a bitch 'bout it!" I snorted. She glared at me.

"The fuck is so funny?"

"Ya ain't alone kid. Don' chu see tha? That drunk fuckin' chink loves ya, the camp does too. They yer family."

"And what about you?" she lifted one eyebrow, and stared at me hard.

"Whut 'bout me?"

"Nevermind." She mumbled, looking away. Her eyes still looked shattered. "This survival thing is too hard now. It's not like I want to live. I just want to die less." she looked confused, then buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Crying. Wonderful. More crying.

I tossed my arm around her shoulders, and she knelt into me, collapsing like she did once before in the tent. I ran my hand up and down her arm, trying not to be annoyed by that last line of the message he had sent her.

_I know we never said it. But I love you. I do. _

"Ya love tha' boy?"

"Doesn't matter now. It'll never matter." her eyes welled up once more. "'The hardest things to say are the ones that mean the most. So I'll bite my tongue 'till it bleeds and I doubt you'll even know.'" She said the words with a melody. "I never got the chance to say! Why didn't I get that chance!"

"Shhh, calm down Nia, it'll be okay."

"I hurt. Everywhere." She murmured.

"It'll go away."

"Make it go away."

"How do ya expect me tuh do tha?"

She got up on her knees, grabbed the back of my head, and pressed her mouth against mine. She tasted like whiskey and tears.

"Please."

"Nia…you're drunk."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Yes it does! I ain't gonn' sleep wit' ya. I mean ya just found out tha' ya boy's dead. Ya drunk off ya ass. It wouldn't be right."

Cali jumped off her spot on the cot, and drunkenly turned, and glared at me. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I FUCKING THROW MYSELF AT YOU, _DRUNK_, _HEARTBROKEN, _AND _BEGGING _FOR YOU! AND WHAT DO YOU DO? THE _HONORABLE_ THING? GOD DAMN IT! I WANT A QUICK FUCK TO GET MY MIND OFF OF HOW ABSOLUTELY SHITTY EVERYTHING IS LATELY, AND THE SAME GUY WHO WAS WILLING TO FUCK ME INTO A TREE SUDDENLY GROWN A CONSCIOUS! FUCKING FIGURES!" She threw her hands up in the air and stormed out of the supply closet. I jumped up, intent on following her, when I realized that the chink and the nig were staring at the closet with an amused look on their faced.

"Th' fuck you lookin' at!"

"Dude." The nig laughed. "You fucked the hell up."

"Ya don't have to fuckin' tell me tha'." I finally sighed, and pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes. "Damn woman."

*Cali*

I pushed into me and Glenn's room, growling. That mother fucker, he couldn't throw me a bone? Literally? All I fucking wanted was for him to give me an escape, but noooooooo couldn't be bothered to take his pants off.

When the hell did Daryl get morals? Was I not at that fucking meeting?

I walked into the bathroom, and pulled off my shirt, bra, shorts, and underwear. I took a good look at myself in the mirror.

I was skinner now. Not cute skinny, more like 'haven't eaten in a month' skinny, several bruises covering my body, tears streaming none stop down my face. I just wanted to feel something other then pain. That would be fucking wonderful.

I walked over to the shower, and moved the switch so that hot water came pouring out of the faucet. I jumped right in, never mind that it was hotter then hellfire, but I stood there, and let the dirt, sweat, and grime of the last almost three months slide right off my body. I was so content, I almost didn't realized I had forgotten the shampoo and conditioner that I had been using in the lake.

"Fucking figures." I growled and reached for a towel. I ran to grab my shampoo, conditioner and thought about grabbing my razor, but those were okay. It was actually easier to shave when the water was freezing so I got more done.

I worked the shampoo and conditioner thorough my hair, and finally smiled when my fingers were able to run through my hair like water once more.

I was clean. I was finally clean.

"Nia?" the voice was in my room. I growled.

"Go away Daryl!" I ordered.

"Com'n Nia, I wanna talk!"

"Since when do you talk? You prefer to sit there and brood then have a conversation!"

"Jesus." He hissed. "Tell me how ya really feel."

"Sorry. But you know what they say, _In Vino Veritas_." I smirked as I let the water work out my shoulder kinks.

"Th' fuck does tha' mean?"

"In wine, there is truth."

"No reason tuh be a bitch."

"Fuck you." I growled. "You need to leave."

"I don' git why yer so fuckin' pissed!"

"Because! You turned me down!"

"Yer drunk!"

"So are you!"

"Not as bad as ya! Ya drank like a whole fuckin' bottle!"

"Yeah, well-" I turned on my heel, and ate shit as I slipped and landed on my ass in the shower. "FUCK!"

"Nia? Ya okay?"

"I'm fine!" I answered. "Just kind of having a little dialogue with gravity."

"Git out here and talk tuh me."

"Go fuck Glenn!"

"Th' hell!"

"Do it!" I turned the water off, and grabbed the clothes I had grabbed when I had walked in here. One of Daryl's T-shirts, and pair of shorts. I walked out, eyes bleary and body begging to just fall asleep. I crossed my arms.

"Whatever kid. Not like yer my problem anyways!" I saw the back of Daryl's shirt as he walked away. I groaned, and flopped down on the couch, pissed off with myself. I pulled my legs up and tried not to cry again.

"Cali?" I looked up, and saw Glenn looking at me worried. "You okay?"

"No. He's such an asshole!" I growled. Glenn flopped down next to me, and tossed his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into Glenn and sighed.

"Yeah, we kinda heard the last part of that. Didn't sound so good."

"It's not. I don't get him, at all."

"Maybe it will look better in the morning? After you sleep this off?" he laughed. I scoffed.

"You, my friend, are just as bad as I am. Seriously. You and I will be feeling that tomorrow."

"Yeah, I don't doubt that." he laughed again. Glenn was still drunk as a duck, and pretty happy.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked, looking up at him. He nodded.

"Of course."

I pressed my lips against, just briefly, and he pulled away, looking confused. "Cali…?"

"Please. Just do this for me? I need something good Glenn. I need this." I whispered. Glenn stared at me hard.

Then, with a smile, his lips covered mine again, as we fell back on the couch.

**Thank yous!**

**Constantlylost: Yeah…I often question Rick's leadership ability.**

**Viktorskrumpits: I can promise that you will someday *soon* get what you desire. To be honest, the first time I wrote this, I used your suggestion, but it wasn't right, you know? Sorry! Smut is not my strong point!**

**TheSceneIsDead: AH HA! I got you to review! :DDD thank you for taking time out of your day for the thank you, and it definitely made my day.**

**GingerGidget: Did you expect this? :D**

**JadeSun12: Thanks so much! I'll try and keep it coming awesome like it was!**

**Amanda: Merry Christmas ;) **

**LucyFreebird: Gotta love Bayside! They're in here this chapter ;)**

**Willoeshine: I never told ya'll how old Cali is. Take a guess ;) oh, and was the heartbreak enough you think? :D**

**PeytonLane: Very drunk Glenn is a fun Glenn!**

**TayaHearts-And lookit that. Your request for Shock and Awe lead her to Glenn!**

**WillowRavenBloodstone: Norman Reedus could honestly make me do whatever the fuck he wanted me to do. Anything! For real! **

**Jac Danvers: Awh, I'm glad you love my sense of humor! Sometimes I make Cali say something and I'm worried everyone on this site thinks I'm some ADD kid who lost her meds…anyhow, **

**Enjoy! And remember, reviews make my day :) successfully keeps me away from the homework**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note!: Ya'll just love watching Cali squirm, dontcha :]**

**And as for the whole separate story idea, it seems to be popular, so I wanna know, should it start right after the CDC, and continue off of this, or create a whole new story line? Let me know please!**

**Oh, and you are all the greatest human beings out there. Oh my gosh, your reviews had be in stitches people! I love you all!**

**Disclaimer!: I don't own. I sure wish I did!**

Chapter 14! I'd Wish Upon A Satellite That Wrong Could Turn To Right

*Cali*

I was nursing a rare breed of hangover. It was the infamous 'You so fucked up' hangover, the one that started to hurt before you even opened your eyes. The sucky thing was, I wasn't exactly comfortable in the position I was in. These CDC couches weren't as comfy as Jenner had gone on about.

I ventured a squinty gaze and realized why. I was sleeping on an arm. A very tan arm.

"Oh fuck!" I cried, and shot up. "Oh fuck." I whispered, and grabbed my pounding head. "Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Shuddup." Glenn mumbled from where he was still sleeping.

"Get up Glenn." I told him in singsong. He only growled. "Glenny, I think this might be important."

"Need sleep. Very drunk. Very tried. Very sore."

"Yeah me too, and I think we should discuss it."

"What?" he yawned, and eyed me critically. "What the hell are you doing on my couch? And why is…OH MY GOD!" He flew up the same way I had, staring at me horrified. "Oh my God. Oh my God! Did we…?" He stared with his big puppy eyes. Sniggering, I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on, so that I would be decent when I stood up.

"Yes, judging by the smell, and the complete exhaustion I'm feeling, I'm going to say we did."

"…Daryl's going to kill me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking for a towel. Looks like I was going to have a round two with the shower.

"He's going to murder me! Where am I supposed to hide? We're trapped, in a _building_! I'm not safe in here! I'm going to get hunted and shot down like a damn squirrel!" Glenn dropped his head in his hands.

"He's not going to lay a finger on you."

"Are you kidding! You're like his!"

_Whatever kid. Not like yer my problem anyways_

"No, actually, I'm not. And he knows it. So really, what I do is none of his business."

"Yeah, and when he drags me to the dinner table with an arrow in my ass, what happens then!"

"I tell him we were drunk. Truth. And I was feeling like shit. Truth. And that I needed something good. Truth. And that you were a good enough person to give me that. Truth again." I smiled at Glenn from the bathroom. He snorted.

"We are the best friends out there…aren't we?"

Relief instantly flooded my body, good. He didn't want anything else now. Thank God. "We are. The best left in the world."

"Hey Cali?"

"Yeah?"

"I refuse to take an arrow to the ass for you."

Throwing my head back, I laughed into the shower. "See you at breakfast alright? And if Daryl shows up, just bow your head and act really hung-over!"

"There won't be much pretending!"

I turned the knob on the shower again, and hopped back in. My head rested against the cool tile as I caught my breath.

Let's see here…on a scale of 1-100, how fucked was I?

I was definitely in the seventies, without a doubt. I suppose the rest of it mattered on the rest of the day, after all, breakfast hadn't even started yet.

.:.

Walking out of me and Glenn's room, I was met with a rather crowed hallway. T-Dog and Shane were talking about something, and I had just let them pass. Twisting my hair up into the knot, I accidentally knocked right into Lori.

"Oh sorry!" I smiled.

"No prob-huh."

"What?" I asked, tugging on my bangs.

"Nothing dear, you just look, different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, different, and a little cheerful, for someone who should be as hung-over as my dear husband."

I snickered. "The Lawman hit the alcohol a little hard?"

"No harder then you!"

"I'm young. I'm supposed to hit the alcohol hard. It's the path of the kids my age."

"Is it also the path of the kids your age to submit to drunken hookups?"

Lori and I both turned to Jacqui, who winked at me. My face lost all color, I'm sure. "W-what?"

"You've got a lovely little glow to you there sweetpea. The same glow I saw on a certain pizza boy. Along with the hangover to boot."

"You and Glenn!" Lori cried.

"Shut up! Shut up!" I begged quietly, the two women laughed.

"Well, I gotta say, I was expecting it to be Daryl, if anyone."

"Jacqui, please, for the love of God, please stop talking. Please."

"Why? Is this not a hallway conversation?"

"No…no it's really not…there were some…circumstances that were met last night…and well…things happened that weren't supposed too…and I would really rather that the entire camp didn't discuss me and Glenn over breakfast!"

"The entire camp, or just one part of the camp?" Lori asked. "A specific redneck for example."

"Please." I whispered. "It was one of those things, you know, and-"

"And you don't want Daryl to know. Meaning, we can't tell any of them. Because of that whole, 'bro-code' thing. Right?" Jacqui raised an eyebrow.

"As weird as that sounded, coming from you, yes. I want to avoid the bro-code issue." I pressed my fingers against my temple.

"Alright Cali, we'll keep your little secret. Let's just hope the boys are too hung over to notice the glow."

"Is there really a glow?"

"Yes, yes there is."

"Well, in that case, Lori, you got it too." I smirked, and made my way towards the room we ate dinner in last night. The two women followed me, Lori stammering, and Jacqui chuckling.

The table looked the same as last night, except everything was actually in focus now. Well, that was nice. I walked over, and took my seat next to Jacqui, and a bottle of Advil was passed right to me. I pulled out three, and knocked them back.

"Hung over?" Sophia asked me.

"Yeah."

"My mommy said that wine makes good people go crazy."

"Really?" I cut my eyes towards Carol, who only smiled at me apologetically.

"When it's true, it's true."

"Yeah, well, your mommy has a point Sophia. Wine makes sane people do stupid stupid things."

"If it makes sane people crazy, does it make you normal?" Carl sneered at me.

"Boy, if the very idea of moving didn't make me feel sick…I would chase your butt up and down these halls."

"Raincheck." Carl smiled.

Lawman walked in then, with a mumbled 'morning.'

"Are you hung over?" Carl asked. Lawman didn't answer. "Mom said you'd be."

"Mom, is right." He smiled.

"Mom has that annoying habit." Lori snickered.

"Eggs!" T-Dog practically sang. I winced hardcore. The man was loud. There was no denying that. "Bet you didn't know, protein-" he gestured to Glenn. "Helps hangovers. Right there Cali?"

"A greasy cheeseburger always hit spot for me."

"Where'd all this come from?" Rick asked as I handed him the Advil.

"Jenner. He thought we would need it. Some of us more then others." Lori explained.

"Ugh." Glenn kept his head down. "Never ever, ever, ever, ever, _ever_ let me drink again."

Shane walked in then, with three wicked looking scratches on his neck. "I must have done it in my sleep."

"Must have been some bad dream." I mentioned, from where I was shoveling eggs onto my plate. Let's see if this protein thing was true.

"I've never seen you do that before."

"Wasn't like me at all."

Luckily for Shane, Jenner decided to walk in and save him further interrogation. Dale turned towards him. "Hello Doctor, the last thing I want to do is attack you with questions first thing…"

"But?" Jenner smiled.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said, as Daryl finally walked in.

And not exactly looking happy.

"Yeah, of course." Jenner grabbed his coffee cup. "Come with me, I might be able to explain better with some visuals."

He headed off towards the big room from last night, and the camp slowly began to migrate with him. I thought about it, but I needed the rest of my protein first. I saw Daryl pop open another bottle of Southern Comfort, and pour some in his coffee, before following the crowd.

"Hey." I muttered. He only looked at me.

"Mornin'" He answered as he took a pull off the coffee. I scratched the back of my neck.

"I uh, I wanted to say I'm sorry. For the whole…bitch attack last night."

"Dun' worry 'bout it. Tha' whole 'angry state of shock' thing wit ya." he answered, not looking at me.

"Yeah, well, either or, I'm still sorry. I was just feeling crappy."

"Yeah, well, from the talk of th' biddies, sounds like you perked up real quick." I narrowed my eyes, and got up. "You coming?"

"After ya, Nia."

.:.

"What you're about to see, only few people got too." Jenner said as a visual came up to the screen. It showed a bunch of blue, but that was about the only thing I could gather from it.

The brain came into the screen, and I listened as Jenner explained the lights of the brain, that's where people, _humanity_, comes from. A bunch of wires in your head created who you are. Everything you are, and everything you ever will be, was on that screen.

"You gonn' make sense? Ever?" Daryl asked, staring at the screen.

Jenner went off again, explaining that the impulses were in control of everything. That was who this TS-19 was. That was who we all were. Right there, summed up in the simplest way possible.

We really were creatures of impulse.

"This is the playback of the visual." Jenner explained.

"This person died? Who?"

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten, infected an allowed us to observe the process." Jenner sighed, and turned back towards the screen. "VI, scan foreword to the next first even."

"Scanning."

The visual changed, and the bright blue brain from before was spider webbed with a darkness, that made my body shiver just looking at it. It looked sinister, and somehow, managed to sum up the only way this _thing_ could look.

"What is that?" Glenn asked.

"It attacks the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands shut down, the brain hemorrhages, and then, the major organs. Then, death." Jenner bowed his head. "Anything you ever were, or ever will be, gone."

Could it really happen that quick?

Did Amy stop being Amy the moment her heart stopped beating?

Did my parents forget the layout of the land that they had worked so hard for as soon as the lights went out?

Did Wade stop loving me the moment the Walker's disease shut down his brain?

Was our humanity really that fragile? That one millisecond could take it away? One wrong move and we're done for?

That was the most poor planning I had ever heard of. Humans are creatures of impulse, yet we're that fragile? The very basis of humanity was being allowed to make mistakes. That was what all of us had been told from day one, wasn't it?

You're allowed to make mistakes. You have too. After all, no one is perfect.

Yet, here in this new existence, perfection was demanded. We were trapped.

The only way any of us would be able to survive, would be to not be human. How are we supposed to do this? How could we possibly survive?

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked, her voice drowning in innocence. Carol could only manage a choked yes in reply.

The world was crashing down on Camp Clueless, and tears threatened my eyes. As powerful as these people who had become my family had seemed to me when the had run into the camp, hell bent on saving their loved ones, they all seemed just, so breakable now.

Andrea sniffed. "She lost someone. Two days ago. Her sister." Lori explained to Jenner.

"I lost somebody too, I know how devastating it is." It had been the first time that he had sounded actually sincere about anything he said. "Scan foreword to the second event."

The visual changed again, and the emptiness and darkness of the brain, was lit up, near the center. Blood red lights.

"It restarts the _brain_?" Lori asked.

"That's not possible." I whispered.

"It's not. It just restarts the brain stem." Jenner turned to look at us. "Basically, it's enough to get them up and moving."

"But they're dead?" Rick asked.

"Look, you tell me!"

"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead. Everything else, the human part, the you part. That doesn't come back. Just a shell, driven by mindless impulses."

Then, a flash raced across the screen, right through the head of TS-19.

_But as soon as I pass, Coach's putting a bullet in my brain, and throwing me in the Kiln._

"Oh God," I moaned, and leaned harder against a row of computers. I brought my hands up to my face and covered it.

I couldn't see anymore of this. What before had been theories, and ideas and even long shots about what was happening to the people we loved had just become fact. It was so much easier to deal with when it had been an idea. Now it was a tangible thing.

_Because the first one was a lie. Second one's th' truth. Truth always hurts more._

It was too real. Everything was too real now.

Death was replacing life. How did we just accept that? How could we?

That idea went against everything that had we had been raised to believe. That we had the instinct to believe.

"So it's not just here. There's nothing, anywhere. Is that what you're telling me?" Andrea asked, Jenner didn't respond.

"Jesus." Jacqui whispered.

"Man, I wann' git shit faced drunk." Daryl moaned, leaning against a counter and covering his eyes. "Again."

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you, and I hate to ask you one more question, but that clock, it keeps counting down. What happens when it reaches zero?"

"The basement generators run out of fuel."

"And then?"

Jenner left, and Lawman looked up. "VI, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, then it's cause for system wide decontamination."

Well, that just _sounded_ bad.

.:.

I shuffled down the hall, looking for something that could distract myself long enough to get what I could only imagine were Wade, and my parent's deaths out of my head. I wanted an out, but an out that wouldn't kill me.

No matter how strong the desire to die was, the desire to live was so much stronger.

"Nia."

I winced, and stopped walking. I couldn't turn around though, I was too afraid. "Yeah?"

"Com're." I turned, and saw Daryl leaning against a doorframe. A bottle in his hand. Well, looked like he was getting shit faced again. I walked over towards him, and stood opposite of him.

"Yeah?"

"Ya okay?"

"What?" I asked, sure my jaw was on the ground. He looked at me funny.

"Are ya okay? Ya were kinda a mess when I left."

"Oh…yeah. I got better. I'm good now. It was just, a very very long-I mean hard- I mean difficult. It was a difficult night."

Now he was looking for something. Damn it! I had been in the clear, now, it was just, confusion. He narrowed his eyes, looking for the weakness. "Whut happened after I left?"

"Nothing. I passed out."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So the chink passed out on top of you on accident?"

"What?"

"Ya think I wasn't gonn' check on ya? Ya were drunk off two asses! I show up 'round five and ya and yer fuckin' chink were all cuddled up on the couch. Room stank."

My face turned bright red, and I looked down. "Daryl-"

"Jesus Nia, whut the fuck is this? Ya that desperate, ye'll fuck the first thing tha' moves? Come on!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, not knowing who was around.

"Naw, I don't think I will. See, here's th' thing. Ya went and fucked somebody-"

"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE?" I countered, fists clenched. "If I recall, your exact words were _Whatever kid. Not like yer my problem anyways_. Great to know you care. Glad that I'm nothing more then just a kid!"

"Ya are more then jus' a kid-"

"What am I then?" I asked, voice quieter this time. "Because whatever game we're playing here, it's really fucking with my head. We're friends, we're mad, we're against a tree, but we're not enough for anywhere else? What the hell are we?"

The hunter only looked away, and stared at the carpet. My heart broke a little.

"So there's nothing?"

"How could there be sumthin'?" he asked, finally. "Yer just goin' off wit whoever will take ya. Whatever, maybe Merle was right about ya! Just some spoiled little fuck who will use and abuse anyone she can! Fine, but I can't handle-"

"It was a mistake! Are you going to brand me with a fucking Scarlet A for this? But then again, that was for adultery, and you can't even put a name to what we are."

"Look here kid-"

"I. Am. Not. A. Kid!" I growled. Daryl opened his mouth to respond, when the lights cut out, and the air stopped blowing. We looked at each other, then he swung out of the door.

"Whut's goin' on? Why'd everything turn off?"

**Viktorskrumpet: I'm glad you like Cali, and her flaws :] it's not fun if the human isn't human right? Hope you enjoyed!**

**TheSceneIsDead- Yes! I rather enjoy that you were in shock xD that's what I was going for! It was just a bonus that you happened to review too! I feel special!**

**Rickii101- Drunk Glenn kicks major ass. Hung over Glenn is adorable!**

**GingerGidget- Yes! The shock and awe was achieved! Huzzah!**

**Willoeshine- I know you've been hinting at Cali/Glenn since the beginning, and since you were such a loyal review, I felt like I owed you. :]] I love you.**

**TayaHearts- Oh, just wait until Daryl gets a hold of Glenn!**

**ShiveringTree- Can you say awkward bus ride? :]**

**WillowRavenBloodstone- Exactly! You gotta get some when you can! And don't worry about the next season thing, I heard that the creators signed him with a contract ;) amen! **

**Lucy Freebird- Don't worry, I do love my Reedus. He'll end up winning :]**

**Lydia- Yay for passion! And DUDE THAT BANNER WAS AMAZING! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT CALI'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE! Now all we need to do is get her that gun ;)**

**PeytonLane-He's just getting started! And yeah, as much a asshole as Daryl is, he didn't seem like the take advantage of type.**

**Constanlylost- OMG YOUR REVIEW MADE ME CRY FROM LAUGHING! "HE'S ASEXUAL TO ME!" OMG, THAT WAS THE GREATEST. So, for you, I didn't add any Glenn!smut :] didn't wanna scare you away!**

**Amanda- I'm just a romantic at heart :] and lol, your review made me cry! It was so funny! And a brilliant point, well, Daryl won't be able to hold out next time.**

**ScarletSometimes-Sorry about that! My spelling has problems sometimes.**

**CantCatchTomorrow- I'm honored that you like it :DDDD**

**Moonlight Drive- Thank you! Thank you for being happy for Glenn!**

**So review! :DDDD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note!: Well, lookie here! Sorry this took so long to get out there! See, my handy dandy watch the walkers website decided to shut down on me, so I had nothing in terms of storyline for this. So, what we have below my ramblings, is a whole lot of fiction, and barely any truth! Hello again, Eris!Improv :) but I hope you like it! And keep a look out for the spin off of this, which will probably be titled after a Bayside song...since...well...Cali was born because of them :) Anywhichway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer!: No ownage of TWD, but I think that they should adopt Cali!**

Chapter 15!: And I Whispered In Her Ear, You Better Fear Me Dear For I Am Death

*Cali*

"Do you know what this place is? We protected the public from some very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" Jenner growled. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack, for example, H. are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

I winced as Jenner's tone hit almost hysterical. We had all followed him to the big computer room, as he tried to explain why the power was going off. And he was getting more and more insane by the minute.

I wrapped the grey sweatshirt I had grabbed from my room around me tighter. I hadn't even looked at the thing since I had gotten off the plane, but with the AC, and lovely feeling of guilt climbing through my veins, I had been cold.

"H.?" someone asked.

"VI, define." Jenner stared up at the ceiling.

"High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosive consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition which produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired." the sky answered.

Wait…so that means…that…

"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sarrow, grief, regret. Everything."

Panic erupted through the area, and the camp flipped the fuck out. "To hell with this!" Rick cried. "Lori, everyone, pack your bags! We're getting out of here!"

I took off with the other woman towards the door to pack up the place, when the door slammed shut, followed by a beeping.

"Oh God no." I whispered.

"Did he just lock us in?" Glenn asked, pure fear on his face. I brought my hands up to my mouth, staring at Jenner as he just sat there, and stared at us.

"Ya best open th' damn door!" Daryl growled, stalking towards Jenner. He was mad, I knew that because I had made him mad. This was not a good situation.

"It's better this way." Jenner explained calmly. "Trust me."

"How is this better?" Rick asked.

"You can just let go. You can all take a deep breath, and just let it end. Out there, the world will not give you that same choice. You won't get the option of a painless death. Out there, you lose. You can't win."

"We deserve to try!" Lori insisted, her arms around Carl.

"Why would you want to?"

"We've been through too much just to lay down and die here!" Glenn insisted. Daryl growled, and him and Shane found a few axes, and they began pounding away at the door.

Jenner's words were finally starting to sink in. We were dead. All of us were dead. Every single one. In 30 minutes and 26 seconds, the building was going to explode. Not even explode, it was going to be incinerated, and we had no choice in the matter.

_Doctor assisted suicide_ I chuckled darkly. I had never been a fan of that. Now? I downright hated the idea.

"You have to let us go!" Rick ordered Jenner.

"Weren't you the one who told me last night that it was only a matter of time before everyone you loved was dead?" Jenner retorted. My stomach dropped.

"You really say that?" Shane asked, hands on his hips.

"I had to keep hope alive didn't I?"

"Well, way to screw us all over there Lawman." I growled. "Seems like every time you open your mouth, someone gets hurt."

"That ain't helping Cali!" Lori ordered. I turned on her.

"Sure ain't hurting! The hell else do we have to go through before fate will finally leave us alone! We're trapped, underground, with a fucking mad scientist who pretty much told us, he's going to blow us up. So, why not get everything out in the open? Time for the fucking final words!"

"Nia, quit bein' a bitch, an' git yer head on right!" Daryl ordered me from where he was pounding away at the door. I scowled, but walked over to a row of computers and leaned against them. It wasn't going to end like this, it couldn't.

I hadn't stayed in a tree for three days to die here.

I hadn't gotten my ass kicked by some damn abusive bastard to die here.

I hadn't watched my best friend be eaten, die, reanimate, die again and be buried just to die here.

And I sure as hell didn't live so I could die in a forced suicide. When I finally pass, it will either be from a bullet to the brain, or God willing, I die in my sleep when I'm 99. Those are my two options, I don't plan on receiving anything else.

"This is a gift. Truly. Why can't you see that?" Jenner asked. Shane let out a terrible yell, and snatched up Jenner's gun, and pointed it at the doctor.

The entire camp threw out protests, including me. If he killed Jenner, then we really were stuck down here forever. And judging from the nonplussed look on Jenner's face, he knew it. Rick was trying to talk Shane down, but the anger in the Deputy's eyes was cold enough to freeze beer.

"Don't do it man, if you end him, then we really will be stuck down here."

Shane screamed, and began shooting at a couple computers. I ducked my head and threw my arms over it. When you shoot shit, it tends to make you a little hard to negotiate with. Shit! Jenner has probably just decided that we're done for. That's it right there. We're just done.

"Are you done!" Rick asked, after throwing the gun (and the gunman) to the floor. Shane just growled.

I surveyed the area, and my anger started to die away, as my heart broke. The Moms were cuddled with their kids, tears streaming down all four faces. Jacqui was leaned against a computer desk, her dark eyes lost in a train of thought that I couldn't even hypothesize about. Daryl, and now T-Dog were still swinging at the door.

It killed me how similar the two men were, and there was no way in hell that they'd ever admit it.

Glenn had pulled his hat off, and was running his hands through his hair mutiple times. He looked like he was about to cry, and I couldn't blame him. This was horrible. This just wasn't fair.

.:.

We had about fifteen minutes left on the clock, and I had discovered that it was indeed possible to go through the stages of grief in record time.

Shock and denial, well, that one had been the shortest. I couldn't deny that I was in this situation for very long. Each time I heard the Lawman beg, each time I heard a child cry and each time the ax was pounded against the metal door, I was reminded of where I was.

Pain and guilt. Oh, that had been fun. I was suddenly tortured with an onslaught of memories that I hadn't even thought about since they had happened.

Just like skipping rocks with my cousins down by the river bottom on my grandparents land. We had to walk a quarter of a mile just to get to the barbed wire fence that lead to the river bottom. The trip down was a hellish decline, almost vertical, and the skeeters were just waiting to eat you alive. I swear, the bugs in Powell had grown immune to bug spray. Hell, the probably fed on it at that point. But we braved the hill, and the bugs, and the heat, just so we could see who the better skipper was. It was never me, but I had promised myself that someday it would be. It had to be.

Or my mother's smile when she pulled a particularly good dinner out of the oven. Her entire face would light up with pride, because she hadn't ruined the dish. Her eyes would shine, and she would be so excited to start the meal.

Or my dad, and his hat. My dad had this hat, that he would wear everywhere. Rain, shine or snow. Doctor's office, weddings, and sometimes, he even wore it to church. It was a Packers hat, and he said it brought him good luck, and someday, he was going to give it to the man I married. Because of that stupid had, my dad's thick blonde hair had always been slicked down, perpetual hat hair. My dad was like Glenn in that sense, and maybe that's why I liked having Glenn around so much.

There was also the memory of the worst break up I had ever endured. It seemed petty now, almost ridiculous that I cared so much for that boy, but I had. Jameson was the most adorable boy I had seen at the time, and when he had asked me out, I had been so happy. He'd been a good boyfriend too…well…until I had found out he was cheating, and when I had confronted him about it, he shrugged, and said I made it too easy.

Because of that, I had gone back to my house, more angry at myself then anyone else. He had been right, I was a passive little girl. I had walked into my bathroom, and taken a good look at myself. I had stupid, innocent wide brown eyes, and my dirty blonde hair made me look like a child. I needed to change, to save myself. It was a matter of self preservation.

Looking through the drawers, I found a box of black hair dye my aunt had bought, but never used. With a wicked grin, and the approval of my favorite cousin, I was well on my way from being 'California' to 'Cali'. My mom had flipped out when she saw my hair, but when I explained the reasoning to my dad, he'd only smiled.

_So, you're going by Cali now?_

_Yeah. I am._

_Good, I always liked that. Cali._

Next up in my stages, came anger and bargaining. My anger, I had decided to force upon myself, and I had dug my nails into my leg, until harsh, red jagged half moons shone on my tanned skin. Afterwards, the anger died out. It was short lived anyways. The bargaining didn't last much longer either.

_If you save us, I'll never have premarital sex again. Hell, I'll never have sex again. I'll be a nun. If you save us, I'll kill myself. I'll kill every walker I come across. I'll beg Daryl to forgive me, I'll even apologize to Rick for being a jerk. Please._

Then depression. Depression was actually the easiest one. I sat there, and I cried. I cried hard, and too the point where it hurt to breath. I could feel my eyes swell, and the singing of knowing how red they were.

I was going to die. We were all going to die. I felt the loss of every camp member like a razor to the heart. It hurt so badly. Especially, when it really came down to it, Daryl. The idea of him dying, and him dying and hating me, made the area where my heart was physically ache. This was how I was going to die. Unable to save my family, just as I had been able my real family.

It was about right then, that I decided how absolutely terrible just lying down and dying was. I had to do something. I had to take care of my own.

I wiped my eyes, and made my way over to where Dr. Jenner sat. we had ten minutes left on the clock. He lifted interested eyes up towards me. "How can I help you?"

"Please, let us go."

"Why do you want to?"

"Okay, look. We're human, we're not like we can be put down! I know that you Georgians play by different rules, but realize this. We're still human, and we deserve to have the choice on how we live. I mean, think about TS-19, do you thing anyone gave them a choice on how they lived or died?"

"They didn't." Jenner answered, sadly. I nodded.

"Was that fair? Your wife, she had everything taken from her by choice didn't she? No one gave her an option?"

"No."

"Please don't do the same to us!"

"Why keep going?" Jenner shook his head. "What's left out there?"

"Why don't you realize what's at stake here?" I asked, "There is an entire world full of sick people out there doctor. And you're the only one left who has the slightest idea of what's going on! The only human being left who understands this disease as more then just the wrath of God. This is your fate!"

"What makes you think that?" he asked, looking at me like I was stupid.

"Come on, the irony of this isn't killing you?" I managed a smile. "Your name is Edwin Jenner, and you're the only one who can create a vaccine to this. In 1798, Dr. Edward Jenner discovered the smallpox vaccine. He saved millions of people. Don't you think that might be your destiny too?" I asked.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a history major, but that's really not the point. My point is, instead of giving up, don't you think that you should keep looking for a cure?" I asked.

"There is no cure. And there is no point, this is our extinction event." Jenner growled, and turned away from me. I growled. Nice Cali was about to flip one.

"LISTEN HERE YOU SELFISH MOTHER FUCKER! I REFUSE TO SIT HERE AND DIE! SO YOU OPEN THAT DAMN DOOR, OR YOU WILL BE KILLED! I WILL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT, AND SPIT ON YOUR DEAD BODY! YOU WANNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PISS OFF A DAMN WYOMING WOMAN? I'LL TIE YOU TO A FENCE AND LEAVE YOU FOR THE DAMN COYOTES! HOW'D YOU LIKE THA-" Two sets of hands pulled me away from the doctor.

Glenn and Daryl had the same expression on their faces. Angry and disappointed. I clenched my fists. "What!"

"What were you-" Glenn started, but then Daryl grabbed him by the collar, and nearly pulled him from the ground.

"Chink, ya betta git far away from here 'fore ya don't even have tuh wait fer th' clock to hit zero." Glenn shook, then ran away from us. Daryl turned back towards me. "What th' fuck were ya thinking?"

"Thinking that I'm going to die! I can't die without a fight! But I can't sit there, like you, and slam an ax against the door and pray that it does something! I can't sit there either! I had to do something! I had to try!"

"So ya threaten the man who decides if we git outa here or not!"

"You went at him with a damn ax!"

"Why th' hell did ya do tha' though? Ya just lost it!"

"BECAUSE I'M DEAD!" I stabbed my finger into his face. "In nine minutes, this place explodes and we're dead! I have literally nothing to lose now! So why not let everyone know how I feel!"

"Losin' yer head ain't gonn' do nobody any good!"

"Says the man who hates me! What do you care if I go crazy or not!"

"I never said I didn't care!"

"Never said you did either!"

"Goddamnit Nia!" Daryl grabbed my shoulders. "Why ya gotta be so stupid?"

"Because! I'm about to die! I haven't had my twenty first birthday yet, and I'm going die!" my body shook violently. Looks like I had finally reached that acceptance stage. My chin quivered, and Daryl looked panicked for a few seconds, and he held my shoulders tighter.

"Ya ain't dead yet!"

"Yes I am." I whispered. "I need to tell you something."

"Whut?"

"I'm sorry." I whispered once more, and I put my hand on the back of his head, and pressed his lips against mine. I didn't even care who was watching. I was dead anyways right? Might as well get this out of my system.

Daryl jumped slightly, but his hands fell from my shoulder to my waist, and he kissed me back. "I'm so sorry!" I repeated, and buried my face in his chest.

"'Salright Nia." he whispered.

I had been so wrapped up in my little…breakdown, that I hadn't realized that Lawman must have been doing something right, because the door opened. I turned, shocked towards the Good Doctor, and mouthed _thank you_. He nodded in response.

I tore out of that room, with the other Walker housewives on my tail, and I grabbed me and Glenn's bags, grateful that we had been too…er…busy to unpack. Throwing anything lose into the bags, I grabbed my bat, and we were off.

I followed the crew back upstairs, and seeing how the elevators were no longer working, we ran up about six flights of stairs. Fuck weight watchers, all you need to thin out is the damn end of the world.

We finally reached the main doors, and just like Jenner had told us, they were locked. Daryl and Shane went back with the axes, but it barely made a dent. A gunshot made no difference either. In a leap of faith, Shane even swung my bat, but it just ended up hurting his hands. He growled, and turned back towards us. "What now?"

"Rick, I think I have something that might help!" Carol told Rick, as she dug through her purse.

"Sorry Carol, I don't think that a nail file's gonna do it."

"No, remember, that one day I did your laundry? I found this in your pocket." Carol pulled out a grenade.

"OH HELL YES!" I cried "AND THAT IS HOW THE WALKER HOUSEWIVES DO IT!"

And somehow, even with our life's seconds ticking away, Camp Clueless had time to stare at me like I was insane.

"Take cover!" Rick ordered us, as he walked over to a window. He detonated it, and ran back towards us. "Oh shit!" he cried.

The window exploded with a deafening noise, and the raining of glass followed the noise. I popped my head up and felt Daryl grab my wrist and drag me over to his piece of shit car. He ripped the door open, and tossed me in. Then he jumped on top of me. "Keep yer fuckin' head down!" he ordered.

A sound that put the blast of the grenade to shame ripped through the area, and a wave of intense heat followed the blast. After that, came a shock wave that shook the car, and I heard a window shatter, and the glass rained down on me and Daryl. I might have screamed, but I don't remember.

We waited a few minutes before we moved, and Daryl lifted his head up slowly, and he glanced out the window. I was good laying down, my adrenaline dump had successfully left me unwilling to move.

"How does it look out there?"

"Doesn't look great."

"Hey Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"We're alive." I smiled. Daryl looked down at me, and a small smile crossed his face. It was small, but it was a smile. A real one.

"Weird coupla months."

"Yeah…it's safe to say we have the worst luck ever."

"Yeah. I'll agree wit ya there." He turned back towards his car, and turned the key. I continued to just lay sprawled out over the seats. My feet were in his lap, and I shoved my hands in my pockets. Feeling something cold, I recolied, then went back in for it. I pulled out my Mom's rosary.

I was in shock at first, because there was no way in hell that it could really be hers. But when I thought back, it made sense. She knew I didn't like flying, and she must have slipped it into my pocket before I left. So she'd know that God was looking after me.

_Well, looks like I'm becoming a nun after all_ I smiled to myself as I put the beads around my neck, and under my shirt.

Things weren't perfect, that was still sure. The Walkers still existed, we had no place to go, and I knew I wasn't done answering for the trouble I'd caused Daryl, but for right now, I was estatic. We were alive, we were away from the CDC, and I had just earned myself a spot on the next season of Walker Housewives.

And you know why? Because I have the worst luck in the world.

**Willow- You know, seeing as how everyone else at Camp Clueless has gotten some, but him, I think I'll throw him a bone ;) we'll get some more tree time in there!**

**Taya- Oh, there will be another Glenn Daryl showdown, don't you worry!**

**Constantlylost- Cali is nowhere near done making it up to Daryl, don't you worry, and as for the new story, last night my parent plot bunnies got together and when I woke up, there were like 20 plot bunnies. You will get your updates :)**

**Viktorskrumpet- Awh! I'm so glad you care enough about Cali to want to smack the shit out of her! And don't you worry, she will be making up for that soon.**

**GingerGidget- A very diverse love triangle! Cali doesn't really seem to have a set type, does she?**

**Lucy Freebird- Cali is just the forever optimist! But then again, of course he would find out. Cali has shit luck. And the new story should be up within the next few days :D**

**Willoeshine- Thank you for being the only one to make known that Daryl did indeed have his chance! He blew it! But my dear, don't worry, since you've been such a nice little reviewer, there will be a present, just for you, in the continuace of this! Because you love Glenn so much :)**

**Rickii101- They will do their best!**

**UrWorstNightmare97- Why thank you for calling it Fabulous! And it just isn't fun if the end of the world isn't realistic ;)**

**Jac Danvers- Why Thank you so much! And I hope this lived up to your expectations!**

**Alright my little Zombies! For the final time now, Review please? :) well, final time until season two!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note: Hey guys! Man I'm sorry this took so long, but if it helps, I plan on returning full steam ahead! I have both new episodes on DVR, and am ready to go!**

**But there are some changes!**

**So, over the summer, I've seemed to have lost my ability to write in First Person POV! I'm just too used to 3****rd**** person and I can't seem to go from everyone's thoughts back to a single person. Even if Cali's mine, she's a hard nut to crack. **

**Also, this story will have no correlation to Landing Feet First! That was my pet project, which I'll probably return too once this season ends!**

**Third…I hate to say this, but I feel season two writers were creepin' on FF. Seriously, they were in a BAPTIST CHURCH, and there was an army of walkers on the Highway…come on now. **

**And finally, I just have a question. Is Andrea bugging the shit out of everyone else? She's honestly grinding my gears in the worst possible way. Seriously. She's a bitch and it's starting to bother the shit out of me. **

**Dislcaimer!: I don't own The Walking Dead, and there are SPOILERS from the new season! Don't read if you haven't seen, because I have to tweak the story with Cali in it. **

Chapter 16: Who's Gonna Fight For The Weak, Who's Gonna Make Them Believe

Cali woke up Rick's voice intoning into his walkie. Cali had never really believed that Morgan man was on the other end, but it was more like Rick's 'Captain's Log'. It was how he dealt with everything. And after the survival of the massive fireball that was the CDC, she couldn't blame him. Everyone was still reeling from that even, only two days ago.

They had driven far enough to not be near the mess of the CDC ruins, but close enough that they could hear any walkers or anything. Sleeping was hard enough for her, but she found that it was almost impossible in the bed of Daryl Dixon's truck, squished in between the motorcycle and the edge. He'd been up all night, pacing. She'd been up most the night, but had finally started to drift off during the last hours of darkness.

And now, at least, according to Rick, they were about to head off.

"Hey. Nia. Git yer ass out my truck." Daryl threw over to her as he walked up. "It ain't comin' with us."

"You're leaving your piece of shit-overcompensating truck behind?" She responded, her voice groggy with sleep. Daryl growled, walked over to the open truck bed, grabbed her foot, and pulled her out.

She hit the ground hard, and with a pained hiss. "What the fuck was that for?" She growled. He smirked in response.

"Jus' fuckin' round Nia. I thought ya were alrigh' with fuckin' round."

"And here I thought we were back to being civil." She rolled her eyes and lifted herself of the ground.

"I don' speak 'civil'." He shrugged, but he did offer her a hand as she made her way up.

_Fine then, if we're going to play this game, then I'm down._ She accepted his hand and was pulled up to his level. Around her, Camp Clueless began to organize themselves to take off down the highway.

Dale and his Winnebago were ready to roll, while Rick and the majority of the Walker Housewives hopped into an old number. Daryl was staring sadly at his truck. "Are you seriously leaving behind your truck?"

"I have tuh. Can't 'fford this much gas." He frowned. "Had this car since I was a kid."

"So…they're makin' you ride with everyone else?" She questioned. She didn't think a car ride sandwiched between Daryl and T-Dog and Glenn sounded much fun. She had all these mental images of racist comments, manly rebuttals and a few punches thrown.

"Tha' so hard tuh believe?" He tossed her a sideways glance. "I'm a people person."

The small beat of silence seemed to stretch between them like a canyon. But, before she could think about it, Cali found herself doubled over, laughter ringing across the area. Daryl could only stare at her life she had grown another head. (Or what would forever be referred to as 'the Cali Look') as the tears gathered up in the corners of her eyes and her laughter stayed constant.

"Alrigh' I git it." Daryl scowled. "I ain't no people person."

"Not even fuckin' close." She swallowed some of her laughter to answer him.

"Ya done yet ya dumb bitch?"

"I suppose." She choked out before attempting to regain control of herself. "There." Cali put on her best poker face. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Got my bike. That'll be what I ride." He answered simply. She nodded.

"Makes sense." She nodded. "Less gas, get into tight places. I see why you kept it."

Daryl looked down at his feet for a second, before he lifted his head back up again. Face was completely blank, but the anger in his eyes showed fresh. "'S Merle's bike. That's why I kept it."

"Oh." Cali looked at Daryl, who's face now looked downtrodden. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry. He'll find you. After all, he is the one that taught you how to track right?" The Hunter gave her a grunt, which she could only assume meant yes. "So that means he'll find you. Besides, it's not like we're even trying to cover up our tracks here, you know?" Cali thought back to the charred ruins of the CDC, which held whatever remained of Jacqui and Dr. Jenner.

Daryl only nodded this time, but his eyes didn't look so dark anymore. She smiled, and he gave her the half smirk that she had started to believe translated into a smile.

"Hey Cali! You coming?" Glenn asked from the door to the big ass RV.

"Yeah!" She tossed back to him. "Well, enjoy the bike."

Daryl dropped her hand. "Will do." He walked away, paused, then tossed back: "Try not tuh fuck nobody when yer in ther'."

"Asshole!"

"Whore!"

* * *

The car trip was as bad as she remembered. This time though, Cali didn't have Carl or Sophia to play games with. She had Glenn who was looking at maps he had long since memorized, Dale who was way too busy driving to do much else, Andrea who was being mopey and a little disturbing with the way she watched Shane who was cleaning his gun. Wasn't exactly a fun bunch.

Although, she did keep a close eye on the movements Shane made with that gun. Pulling it apart, and the way he handled it. Cali had long since been thinking that maybe she should jump on the firearm bandwagon. Or at least know how to use them. Her bat was great, strong and silent, but it also took at least two hits to kill. It would be worthless in a multiple Walker situation. Although, with a little luck, they wouldn't have to run into another one of those for a long time.

"Oh jeeze." Dale mumbled from the front seat. Cali groaned. Something must be wrong with the stupid RV. It was usually that. She pushed off from the wall she was leaning on and moseyed on up to the front, only to see that it wasn't the RV's fault, but a massive clusterfuck of traffic.

Yay. Even better.

Glenn sighed, and looked down at the map once more as Daryl came up to the side of the RV. "See a way through?" Dale asked. The Hunter gave a short nod and began to double around. Cali was not of fan of this, it looked like it was too much traffic to really deal with.

"Uhh…maybe we should just go back." Glenn offered. "There's an interstate by-pass-"

"-We can't spare the fuel." Dale cut in. Andrea sat down dejectedly and T-Dog rubbed his hand over his face. _Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't like this._ Cali sighed as she returned to her spot on the wall.

"Jeeze." Glenn almost whispered as the crushed cars passed them like an urban purgatory. This place wasn't morbidly cool, like the scene of a car crash. No, this place was creepy. She didn't want to stay here too long. Each one of these cars represented a person…or more realistically, more then on person. The idea made her a little more than sick to her stomach.

"Can we get through here?" Glenn asked, and seconds later, a thick cloud of steam erupted from the radiator's hood. Followed by a nasty grinding sound.

_Called it._ Cali gave herself ten mental "I Was Right, Suck It World" points for that one.

She followed the rest of them out of the RV as Rick and the rest caught up with them. "Didn't I say it? I said it a thousand times. Dead in the water." Dale sighed as he walked to the front of his precious Winnebago.

"Problem Dale?" Rick asked.

_No shit._ Cali smirked, but decided not to say anything. She didn't need the mom's to make good on their threat to implement a Swear Jar. She had no idea how she'd come even close to being able to afford that.

"Oh just the small problem of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" He cut himself off when he saw Daryl going through the back of some car. "Okay. That was dumb."

"You could find a new radiator hose here." Shane spoke up.

"Whole bunch of stuff we could find."

"Siphon more fuel from these cars."

"Maybe some water?"

"Food."

_Well, whatddya know. Salvation delivered to us by the dead. _Cali looked at the dead, and wondered how many of them had walked away. How many of them had already tried to kill them.

"This is a graveyard." Lori finally spoke up. Daryl stopped his rummaging to look over. "I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"How many of these people aren't people anymore." Cali spoke up before she really thought about it. "If anything, they almost owe us." Half the campers nodded, while the other half had a squeamish look on their face. "Seems to me like it'd just go to waste her anyways. If it were my ass in that car, I'd want someone to try and survive on what I had."

A few of the more moral people in the camp still looked confused, but Daryl went back to digging, and Shane started to order people to check out what they could find. Seemed smart enough, it wasn't like they could live off their meager supplies forever.

* * *

Cali walked slow, and made sure that she was constantly checking behind her as well as to her left and right, but she was also window shopping.

So far she had found some bronze eye shadow that she had always wanted to try, an iPod car charger, some long sleeve shirts for when the summer ended, and a few pairs of shorts for while it continued.

A purple mini-van with a COEXIST bumper sticker caught her eye. The hippies might have had something good. She tugged on the doors, and found them all to be locked. She growled and kicked the tire. "Ow! Damn it!" She hissed as the pain danced up her foot.

"Havin' problems?"

"Shit!" Cali jumped. She hadn't even heard Daryl creep on up beside her. Damn hunting bastard. He continued to stare at her, standing on one foot and cradling the other.

"Ya need help, or ya jus' havin' on a' yer littl' episodes?"

"The car's locked." She muttered through her teeth.

"Ah…an' ya though' kickin' it…was gonn' unlock it?"

"…yes."

"I see…"

"Are you going to unlock it for me or not?"

"Hol' on Nia." Daryl walked over to the driver's side window, untangled some wire and within minutes he had the door unlocked.

"Whoa. Who taught you that?"

"My ol' man." Daryl shrugged and opened the door. He put his knee on the seat and glanced back. "Alrigh' yer good."

"Thanks." She smiled and pulled open the door.

It looked like a small library, books filled up the entire car. Cali grinned and began stuffing as many of the things in her bag as she could. Daryl looked on with mild interest. "Yer a reader." He stated. Cali looked back and nodded.

"When I was in the hospital after I had beat myself up on that 4-wheeler, they were literally the only thing I wanted to do." She responded.

"'Splain's a lot." He muttered. Cali growled and tossed a book behind her head, right at Dixon. She must've really caught him off guard because she heard him hiss, and the book hit the ground. "Wha' th' fuck…?"

Cali turned around while Daryl reached down to pick up the hollow book and the bag of pot that had fallen out of it.

"Hippies always have the best shit." She grinned, staring at the bag. Daryl gave her a small smirk.

"Looks like it. I'll throw this in with th' rest of Merle's shit. Never know when it might come in handy."

"Easy there Dixon, half of that's mine."

"Bullshit."

"I found it!"

"Nah, ya chucked a book a' my head…"

"It's called trial and error."

"It's called finder's fuckin' keepers."

"If you don't share, I swear I'll-" Her retort died mid-insult as Daryl tackled her to the ground. She felt her back pop as it became reacquainted with the ground, but before she could cry out, Daryl's calloused hand had covered her mouth.

Something was wrong.

She opened her eyes, and Daryl motioned for her to get under the van. She nodded slowly and carefully crept under the van. She didn't exactly understand why she was doing this, but all the mirth from Daryl's eyes was gone and she knew that couldn't be good. He was about to stand up, but she snatched his hand and pleaded with her eyes. _What the hell is going on?_

_Walkers_ he mouthed before taking off.

Walkers? As in plural? Well shit, how many was it that they needed to hide, rather than fight. Camp Clueless was at an advantage. They had four people who knew how to own and operate a gun, but the Walkers only had their dead brains and insatiable hunger. There wasn't much of a contest there. It looked as though old Rick was overreacting.

Then the footsteps started.

The stumbling started slow, but then it became so constant, Cali had never been more terrified. She covered her own mouth for fear of crying out, and her brown eyes widened as the feet kept coming. There were so many of them.

It was similar, yet different to the night Camp Clueless got attacked. The Walkers that attacked them had been in a group, but she had always thought that they had been attracted to the smell of the fish, and maybe that had drawn them together…but now? There wasn't any open food source, Rick and Co. had made sure of that…so that meant that the Walkers were traveling together?

It was a survival strategy many animals deployed. The more men you have, the more food you bring in. It was a common strategy…but the Walkers hadn't been using it at first…

_Oh my god. They're getting smarter_. The thought hit Cali with so much weight that she almost felt crushed under the realization. That idea, that notion, it spelled out their extinction. Just like Jenner had predicted. She swallowed a scream and tried to control her shaking as the shoes continued to pass by her. It wasn't long before her brown eyes started swimming in tears but she didn't let them fall. She didn't know if Walkers could smell that or not.

But, what they could smell was blood. She watched as a pair of feet too nimble to be a Walker's passed by her car, and red raindrops fell from them. Cali took a deep breath and laid her face on the pavement so she could see who was hurt.

It was T-Dog, and she saw the fear in his face as he hit the ground. His shirt was soaked in blood and there was a Walker hot on his trail. Holy shit, she was going to see this end, and end badly. T-Dog met her eyes for a quick second, and all she could think to do was mouth _I'm sorry_.

That man was dead. That Walker was right there…and then…suddenly that Walker was on the ground, and Daryl pulled a bolt out of its head.

_Way to fuckin' go Rambo_ she grinned as Daryl grabbed the dead geek and threw it on top of T-Dog. Then he pulled another dead man on top of himself, and they waited at the herd passed them.

* * *

When the groaning finally stopped, Cali lifted her head.

_One, one thousand_

_Two, one thousand_

_Three, one thousand_

_Four, one thousand_

_Five, one thousand_

_Six, one thousand_

_Seven, one thousand_

_Eight, one thousand_

_Nine, one thousand_

_Safe._

She slowly rolled out from under her van, and looked around. No Walkers. It was just Camp Clueless crawling out from cars. Good. Cali grabbed an armful of still packaged V-necks out of the hippie van and ran over to where Daryl was pulling the corpse off T-Dog.

Daryl had pulled him up, and pushed a rag against the cut on his arm, she dropped the packaged shirts at his feet. "No, that's not clean. Here. Open up one of these, and go get another one wet." She ordered him. Daryl nodded and grabbed one of the packs and made his way back to the water van. Cali tore open a different pack and ripped out a clean shirt. "Here T, I'll tie this up." She wrapped the V neck around his arm as tight as she could, then pressed down hard to stop the bleeding.

"You…know…what…you're doin'?" T-Dog wheezed. Cali nodded.

"When you're out trying to find a lost cow, and your cousin falls down and cuts himself good, you learn to make do with what you have. Right now, we stop the bleeding. Then we clean it out when Daryl gets back. Then we gotta redress it." She explained. "I've done this more than a few times." But T-Dog wasn't paying attention to her anymore; he was looking past her, glossy eyes confused. Keeping the pressure going, Cali glanced behind her, to see Sophia running from two walkers.

_Fucking stragglers! How did we not account for that?_

"We have the shittiest fucking luck." She muttered as Daryl returned with the soaked V neck. Cali moved her now drenched shirt from the wound, and Daryl handed her the clean one. She tried to clean it out the best she could, but T-Dog kept groaning and pulling his arm away. Finally, she just wrapped it up again, and Daryl pulled the man up and they began to drag him.

Cali looked back over to Sophia, and saw Rick running towards the Walkers and Sophia. Cali began to breathe a little easier. Rick would save her, Sophia was okay.

She returned her focus towards getting T-Dog back to Dale's place.

* * *

"Oh God, this is disgusting." Glenn moaned as the dead Walker's head lolled about on the tarp that he and Cali were transporting it on.

"Keep moving Glenn." Cali encouraged, trying to breathe through her mouth. "We gotta get this ugly fucker in the woods. Don't need him keeping us company." She groaned with the weight of the dead man. For a skinny looking shit, he was kind of heavy.

Normally, Cali wouldn't be on body duty, then men in camp tried to keep the women from having to do the excessively disturbing chores, but Rick had come back up, saying he needed help finding Sophia.

That took Daryl, and it had taken Glenn and Shane for a bit too, but the two of them had come back, and just started assigning more chores. So the women had stepped up.

And by women, she meant her and Lori, and sort of Andrea. She was acting a little more than weird lately, but Cali had just chalked that up to good old fashioned 'Foiled Suicide' angst. She'd get over it soon. Maybe she was just on the rag.

Speaking of, Cali would have to go recheck those cars for pads and tampons. It would do them no good to run out of that.

Cali and the Special Agent Ninja Porno Pizza boy finally made it to the edge of the woods and they let One Eye Eddie roll downhill. They didn't have time to burn or bury them, so that was their next best thing. Cali reached for her water bottle, which was now a normal thing (God Bless Shane) and washed the excess blood off before folding the tarp up. "What's next Glenn?"

"I think we need to bury T-Dog's bloody shirts underground. We don't need the smell attracting anymore Walkers."

"Yeah, I'm all for that. Come on, let's go find a shovel."

They wandered back to where the rest of the camp was still moving cars, making room for the still broken RV.

Carol was still standing vigil for Rick and Daryl.

Cali and Glenn came to join Shane and Andrea, who handed each a water bottle. "Can't leave soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out by that herd. Or whatever you'd call it."

"Yeah what was that?" Glenn asked, shaking his head. "All of them marching together like that?"

"A herd." Shane reiterated. "Sounds about right. We seen it before, the night Camp got attacked. That was just of few of them then." Shane shook his head, then stared at them again. "Alright, come on people, back to work. We got things to do."

Glenn grabbed a shovel, and the nasty V necks, and headed off towards the woods. With Shane giving out as many generic chores as he could think of, Cali decided to head back to the hippie van to see if she couldn't find anything else. You hollow out one book, you might as well hollow out more.

She came back to her purple van and started checking all the books. Most of them were normal books, but she came across a few that were hollowed out. There was a nice pocket knife, a bottle of pills that read 'Tylenol' but when she cracked open the bottle, a rainbow of pills fell into her hands. She also found a wad of cash. But there were mostly books. She put all the things she had found in her bag then started hauling a few books back towards Dale's RV.

"What are you doing with those?" Andrea asked as Cali got closer.

"Bringing books?"

"I don't think we need books as much as real supplies." Shane sort of laughed at her. Cali rolled her eyes.

"You going to sit by and let Carl and Sophia become uneducated? Come on, we might need these!"

"You might want to listen to California there kids." Dale smiled. "We'll be spending a lot of time on the road from now on, and we might need something to distract them. Besides, worst comes to worst, we can use them to start fires."

"Fires?" Cali asked. "Well, how very _Fahrenheit 451_ of you."

It looked as though the discussion would continue, but Rick and Daryl came back then. Cali turned around and saw the two disheartened men return. Just the two disheartened men.

"Oh my God." Carol sighed. "You didn't find her?"

"Her trail went cold." Rick explained. "We've done all we can do in this light."

"Light? You can't leave my baby in the woods at night-"

"We'd just be trippin' over ourselves in th' dark." Daryl explained. Carol's eyes filled with tears and she looked down, but froze.

"Oh…is that blood?" She gasped. Rick and Daryl looked at each other.

"We ran into a Walker."

Cali's blood ran cold at that. Sophia was just a kid, and they sure as hell hadn't really taught the kids how to react to a Walker, and they sure as hell didn't know how to kill one.

"Oh my God! My baby." Carol cried.

"Hey, hey calm down. He didn't come into contact with Sophia."

"How do you know?"

"We cut the sum'bitch open." Daryl half mumbled. "Made sure."

Relief and disgust mixed between the Camp, and was almost palpable. Cali couldn't even imagine what one of those nasty little shits looked like cut open…but now, she kind of wanted to know.

"How could you, just leave her out there to begin with?" Carol turned on Rick so fast, it almost hurt Cali's head. "How could you just leave her?"

"Those two Walkers were on us! I had to draw them off, it was her best change."

"No one's doubting that." Shane added. Cali bounced her eyes between the two men. Looks like they were friends today.

"My little girl's out there." Carol began to cry again, and Rick, just walked away. His shoulders slumped. As if that man didn't carry the weight of their camp as it were, now they had just placed this on him. _Poor Rick._

Cali shook her head and went to join Daryl, she fell into step beside him and he glanced her way. "What you want girl?"

"I need a favor."

"Wha' kinda favor?"

"Do you know as much about drugs as your brother?"

"This yer idea o' a joke, it ain't funny."

"No joke. The Hippie Van has a rainbow in a Tylenol bottle. Thought you might be able to help." Cali explained, shifting the books in her arms to the other side. Daryl chewed on the inside of his mouth for a few minutes then nodded.

"Alrigh'. I'll see wha' I can do."

"Thanks." Cali smiled, but she still didn't move.

"Need somethin' else Nia?" He sighed. Cali shifted the books again.

"Was it gross? You know, cutting open the Walker?" She mumbled. Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"Yer a weird little shit." He snorted, but then he mussed her hair. "Nah, wasn't tha' bad. Jus' wish I'd had gloves though."

He removed his hand from her hair.

**Alright guys, normally my THANK YOUS! go here, but because it's been SOOO LONG since this particular fanfic has been updated, I've decided we're going to start fresh! How many of you remember what you wrote anyways? But I do thank all of you who reviewed from the bottom of my heart!**

**I love you my Little Zombies!**

**Please review!**

**Love, Eris**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: Awh guys! I missed all of you too x) and it was also really great to see a bunch of new faces! Or…screennames I guess xD but still! And as promised, here's the next chapter, I'm trying to get back on my normal updating schedule!**

**Oh, and I've heard some rumors going around that Daryl might hook up with Andrea…and I've decided that, should that happen…I'll kill Cali off in the next Walker attack, and have her haunt the shit out of Daryl…dumb ass ain't hookin' up with that bitch…let me tell you.**

**Anyways, enjoy! **

**I know the last chapter seemed kinda awkward lol, but it had really been awhile since I'd written anything, especially Cali, but I think I've gotten my grove back, and I'll put some more lovey stuff in there for you xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead…there will be naughty words, possible adult situations, uh…a shit ton of gore, possible racism, and spoilers from season two. Sounds sexy right?**

**Shameless Author Plug: Oh, by the way, I started this new collection of song fics for all the cast members of The Walking Dead. Anyone wanna check it out? :D It's called This Is Who We Are!**

**Hey, did anyone catch in the first episode when Daryl called Glenn 'Short Round?' Oh man that made my life xD**

**Thanks guys, now you can enjoy!**

Chapter 17: Your Hair's On Fire, Must've Lost Your Wits Yeah.

Cali grabbed another water bottle and poured the entirety of the contents over her already sopping hair. That was the third round with the water bottle, but she still couldn't shake the nasty feeling of Walker guts hiding in her black hair. She couldn't believe Daryl would even pull that shit!

Daryl, cause of his distress, was leaning against a black pick up, a very entertained look on his face. "Nia, ya knew I was kiddin'. I wouldn' touch no Walker withou' no gloves."

"Don't care. So gross. Hate you. So much." She responded as she flipped her head back over and started round four with her new best friend. Daryl snorted.

"Come off it Nia, yer hair's fine. I promise."

Cali flipped her hair up, splattering Daryl in the process. He shot her a glare, which she candidly ignored. "You promise huh? And what good is that?"

"Ya best watch whut ya say. I might be a right asshole girl, but I ain't never lied to ya."

Cali felt herself starting to worry her check with her teeth, and she thought that over. Daryl was an asshole, overly harsh, plain mean…but he'd never lied to her. Not once. "Alright, I'll let my hair be." She nodded and grabbed another V neck from their multicolored pile of new rags. The shirts were too big for the girls, and none of the men were willing to pull one on. She wrapped her soaked hair in the shirt and started to wring out her hair. "Still, one of the dickier things you've done to me."

"Tha' wasn't the worst? Shit, I must be slipping."

"No, the worst you did was yank me out of that second tree. The first time it was a surprise…the second time, well, you were just being the best ass you could possibly be."

"Ya were in shock, figured I shouldn' letcha stay up high. Too damn clumsy for tha."

"My ass Dixon. You just wanted to get back at me for falling on you that one time."

Daryl only grunted in response, and lifted his eyes up at the camp. Most of them were arguing about who got to sleep in the RV tonight. T-Dog and Dale were in for sure. But they also wanted Carl and the women in there, Cali decided she would pass on that. A sleepover with Hysterical Carol and Angsty Andrea held absolutely no appeal. She'd rather sleep on the floor.

But first, she'd need to get to sleep.

She pulled her rubber band off her wrist, and twisted her hair into its not at the base of her neck, then she went for her bag, and pulled out the Tylenol bottle from earlier. "Hey Daryl, let's find me some sleeping pills." Daryl nodded, and pulled down the gate for the bed of the truck he was leaning on.

This truck was old as shit, and for some reason the bed was completely empty. Or, it had been completely empty, but now there were a few blankets and a couple pillows in the back. Cali smiled "You're sleeping in a truck?"

"Called a bed, innit?" Daryl shrugged and jumped up into the bed, then pulled Cali up. "Pour 'em out Nia, let's see what ya scored."

Cali sat down and opened up the bottle, and poured out a handful for Daryl to examine. He let out a low whistle, and started dividing the pills into piles. "Alrigh' girl. Ya got a ton a' Lunesta, good for ya, and some Oxy, good stuff too lookin' at it. Got a little bit of Paxil, and a shit ton of Xanax." He pointed to each pile, and Cali used that semiphotographic memory of hers to remember which was which.

"Well, that Hippy Van is starting to paint a picture of their owner." Cali smiled, she pulled out the knife, and the wad of cash. "It's starting to look like a drug dealer, huh."

Daryl nodded. "Most this stuff's Oxy, it'll make ya sleep but it's addictin' as all hell, so you don't need to be takin' none of that. There should be enough Lunesta to last you a while."

"What do I do with the rest of it?"

"Can't rightly say…although, ya wanna drop a few of them anti-depressants intuh the blonde bitch's water bottle?"

"Not a bad idea, maybe slip a few Xanax to Carol?" Cali snickered. "Hell, maybe we should just drug them all."

"Maybe," Daryl held up a white pill and frowned. "Dunno what this one is…Hey! Short Round!" Daryl called over to Glenn, who frowned then made his way over.

"What?"

"Here. Take this. Help with tha' headache ya were bitchin' bout." Glenn took the pill and looked dubiously at Daryl.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Got it from Nia."

Cali looked in horror as Glenn popped the shit before she could say anything, because even though Daryl didn't know what the pill was, she sure did.

"Jesus Christ Glenn! You just swallowed a Midol!"

* * *

Cali sighed, and leaned against the Hippy Van, it looked like she would be staying there tonight. Glenn had been none too happy about now having the Midol in his system, and he placed half the blame on Cali. Even though it was obvious that Daryl was the real one at fault in this situation.

Maybe Midol worked like Ritalin? If you needed it, you'd have your hormones balanced out, if you didn't need it, (or were male) it made you super emotional. Oh well, tomorrow morning Glenn would piss it out and everything would be hunky dory again.

Cali opened the door to the van and sighed. She had uncovered the seats of any books, but the only way she'd fit on it was if she curled up in a little ball, and she didn't have a blanket or pillow. Well, Daryl had an excess of those. And he owed her big. Bigger then big.

She ditched her bag in the van, and made her way over to the black truck. She hopped up on the bumper and pulled herself up. "Hey Dixon."

Daryl groaned, and she realized that Daryl had been asleep. Cali realized that she'd never seen the man sleep before…and she'd definitely never seen him in just a pair of sweatpants either.

_Oh sweet mother of God_ She thought at first, realizing that anything he had left on his body was decently defined…and tattooed. Hot.

Then, she realized that he was thin. Way thinner than anyone else in camp. Daryl grabbed a shirt and pulled it on, way faster than necessary. "Th' fuck ya need Nia?" He hissed.

"Chirst Dixon, don't you eat?"

"Everybody gets enough." He answered. "Now what the fuck do ya want?"

"Uh…I wanted to snag a blanket, but now, I'm not so sure." She answered. Holy shit that man was thin. She hadn't noticed, all the baggy shit he wore.

Daryl tossed on of the blankets at her. "Take it."

"No." She threw it back at him.

"Th' fuck. Bitch, take it."

"No, asshole." She shook her head. "It's yours."

"So, ya woke me up, then ya ain't even gonn' take me up on this?"

"Pretty much." Cali smiled. Daryl rolled his eyes and threw her the blanket. Cali caught it, then jumped over the gate of the truck. Daryl watched her spread out the blanket, then sit down next to him. "See this Dixon? This is called compromise."

Daryl just stared at her, eyes confused. Cali shook her head. "Are you scared of me or something?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "Just not sure whut tuh do wit' ya. Yer like a damn puppy."

"A puppy? Seriously?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Freakin' innocent, an' I can't seem tuh get ya tuh stop humpin' people's legs."

Cali glared at him, and Daryl's face was blank, but there was a small smile in his eyes. "You are not going to let that go are you?" Daryl only shrugged.

"Brought it upon yourself I'd say." He answered, this time, he did smirk at her. Cali continued to glare at him, and she prepared an entire defense speech, oh she was going to lay into him this time. But before she could get the chance, Daryl threw his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss against her mouth. "Now, will ya please either pop a pill and shut up, or get yer ass back to your van so I can grab some sleep?" he asked. Cali only smiled and reached for the bottle of pills she had left in his car, and swallowed one.

"Happy now?" She asked, Daryl smirked, and laid back down. Cali dropped down next to him and threw her arm across this chest. "You know, you can't just knock me out each time I bother you."

"Shut up bitch."

"Sweet dreams Asshole."

* * *

Cali stood around the car with the rest of the camp, a yawn escaping her mouth. Today was completely dedicated to searching out Sophia. Cali wanted to find her quick so they could get off the highway. It was high time they moved, and she was ready to go.

Rick walked up, and smacked down the small arsenal that Carl had found the day before, and unraveled it. "Everybody takes a weapon."

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need!" Andrea argued. "What about the guns?"

Cali and Glenn stifled a groan. They were both pretty sick of her firearms obsession. "Haven't we been over that? Dale, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people poppin' off rounds each time the trees rustle." Shane explained. Again.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about."

"Say someone pops one of at the wrong moment, heard happens to be walking by, well see then its game over for all of us. So get over it."

Cali nodded, and Daryl stood up next. "We'll travel along the creek, that's probably where she is. It's her only landmark."

"Stay quiet, stay sharp, give each other space, but stay within sight of each other." Rick explained, and they were instructed to assemble their packs.

Glenn, who was more forgiving today, walked up to Cali with a wicked looking pick. "You jealous?" He asked with a massive grin.

"It's brutal alright, but I'm partial to this here." Cali lifted her Baseball Bat Of Death with a grin. "This is my boy." She explained as she filled her bag with water, a few more of the V necks, and her bottle of pills. Just in case. "Hey Glenn."

"Yeah?"

"Do you, uh, do you think we're gonna find her?" Cali asked, dropping her voice so that no eavesdroppers would be able to hear.

"I think," Glenn spoke up finally, voice the same decibel as Cali's. "That finding something would be better than finding nothing."

Cali nodded, and grabbed her bag. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Trudging through the woods was about as much fun as a fever, but Cali marched in that line with the rest of them, the only moment she made other than walking was when she swiped Glenn's hat and had it planted firmly on her head. The sun was really kicking her ass today. Damn she hated the Georgia sun. it was completely unforgiving.

They walked without really seeing anything but trees, and Cali was once again shocked by the fact that rednecks could move like damn ninjas through these woods. Rick and Shane were constantly looking for landmarks of some kid, but Daryl knew exactly where he was at any given moment.

It was a good thing he was on their side.

They walked for a little while longer, before Daryl slowed down, staring to their left. Rick and Shane looked over as well, and they ordered Andrea and Carol to get lower. Cali squinted, and she could make out a tent through the foliage. "She could be in there." Shane intoned.

"There could be a bunch of things in there." Daryl responded, but the three men made their way over towards the tent, with the rest of the camp following as silently as they could. The two officers held back as Daryl got a little closer. He tried creeping through the side, and looking in, but vision appeared to be obscured.

_And this is the part of the scary movie where everyone yells, 'What the fuck are you doing? Run away!_ Cali thought silently to herself, but said nothing as she heard him tug on the zipper.

Rick called Carol over, and told her to call out for Sophia, in case she was in there. The 'Tender love and care' moment was a little ruined by the fact that Daryl was poised at the ready with a big ass knife, but hey, they would take whatever heartwarming moments they could get out here.

Daryl flipped the flap open, and let out a cough, but headed inside. While the big, tough officers leaned against nearby trees and tried incredibly hard not to throw up. Cali could feel the water and pears she'd eaten for breakfast threaten a repeat performance, but she held it down. She was the type to vomit at the idea of vomit. But she held it down.

Daryl was in there for a while, before Carol finally called him out. "Daryl?"

He came out, looking no worse for the wear. "It ain't her."

"Who was it?"

"Some guy. Did what Jenner said. Opted out. Isn't tha' whut he called it?" Daryl answered, and almost immediately followed his lovely little eulogy, bells started echoing through the forest.

Cali lifted her head up immediately. Huh, her plot thickened. If she didn't know any better, those sounded like church bells.

Rick took off running like a bat out of hell, and the rest followed him blindly, like they tended to do, until they finally reached an opening. Across a spacious graveyard, there was a white building. "Rick man, that' can't be it." Shane immediately stated. "Don't got no steeple."

Rick, in a very honey badger fashion, didn't give a shit, and he took off towards that church. Cali bit her lip, but followed. _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._ Echoed through her mind with each grave she stepped on. She really was, but honestly, they were that pissed off, they could take it up with Rick. They ran, until the sign was finally legible.

**Southern Baptist Chruch.**

**Revelations 9:15**

And a lovely flag that read: Welcome Bikers.

"Only in the fuckin' South." She mutters as the climbed the stairs of the church and the doors were busted down.

Three Walkers were waiting for them.

If Cali had to classify this attack, say for a school paper, she would have classified it under insignificant. There were only three, and Shane, Rick and Daryl had pretty much taken them out without much of a second thought. These Walkers didn't seem too keen on attacking, but they had been sitting in a church. They had probably been good people. Very good people.

Cali stared, at the conflicting images of the mutilated dead and the crucifix hanging up front. Rick screamed Sophia's name, but recieved no response. Daryl checked all the pews, and when he made it to the front, he only glanced up. "Yo, JC, you takin' requests?"

"Rick man, I'm tellin' ya. It's the wrong church. It's got no steeple man. Got no steeple."

As soon as the man spoke these words, the bells started ringing again, and Cali became convinced that there was a higher power out there, hellbent on killing Shane's mood. Everyone turned to run outside, and Cali went to follow, but then she noticed there was a bible right by where one of the Walkers had been sitting. While the rest of the camp ran out, she turned the pages towards Revelations.

* * *

Daryl growled, he was about fed up with these damn twist and turns that insisted on throwing them off the trial. Where the hell could that little girl be? Honestly? There were only so many places she could be. He watched the rest of the people file back into the church, and he realized Nia had never left.

"God damn it…" He growled and started back in there. He found the little freak sitting in one of the pews, a bible open on her lap. Daryl came and sat next to her, waited for her to speak.

"What happened with the bells?" She asked, quiet, so as not to disturb Carol up at the front.

"Jus' a recordin'. On a timer." He explained. Another one of those damn twist and turns. "Whu' bout you? Suddenly a bible banger?"

"No…just…thought I'd check out Revelations 9:15. You know, the one that's on the sign out there." She explained, and she turned to look at him. Her eyes were wide and glossy. Daryl's eyebrows knit together.

"What'd it say?"

"_So the four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity_." Nia read off, and then took a deep breath. "That a little too close for comfort for you too?"

* * *

**Alright guys, so I'm actually spitballing on the bible verse. I tried to get a good reading of what was on the sign, and that was the closest I got…creepy no?**

**Also, anyone catch what was on the button of the guy who blew his brains out? Camera went to fast for me there lol.**

**Thanks yous!: **

**Aahahalyey: Oh, thanks! I'm glad you like the Walking Dead stuff! It's pretty fun shit to write, not gonna lie! And I'll be playing with Blame until the end of season two, that much is for sure!**

**xNeonxSharpies.: Hahaha a legitimate squeal? Complete with hand-flailing? :D and thanks! Glad to know people are loving Cali, and that she's made your top group!**

**Willow: Oh sweetie, TL;DR doesn't exist for me x) I read the entire thing, and I loved it all. I wanted to expand on the herd situation, but there really wasn't much I could think of lol.**

**And between you and me, I so agree, if they're going to have those kids, they need to prepare them. Seriously, they're 12 not 7. They can handle what's going on…Sophia should've known better than to run off. I mean come on.**

**CayChaoric: Andrea is a little bitch, that much is certain. And I refuse to let her play the victim…there will be a Cali/Andrea bitch fight soon if this doesn't shape up.**

**And yes, Reedus looked hot in every scene he was in. which is even more impressive with the fact that he's starting to get old. And I'm glad you like Cali xD when I created her, she was intended to be the anti-Mary Sue…I mean seriously, some of these damn zombie!fic girls just annoy the crap out of me with their superhuman shooting powers. Lol sorry for ranting there.**

**Lucy Freebird: Lucy! You're back too! I'm so glad! And I added some romance in there! Just for you my dear!**

**AzkadelliaBlast94: If Andrea and Daryl get together…Cali will haunt the shit out of him *See plan above* I will not stand for that!**

**Jac Danvers: Hey! Another familiar face! I just couldn't resist the hippy van! And the hollowed out books, I mean come one, ONE of those cars had to belong to a weirdo right?**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: Right? Cali is a morbid little freak xD**

**Reilaxx: Forgotten the new season started? Glad I could help! And seriously? The best Walking Dead story? :DDDD wow! And I'll always side with Dale. Always.**

**Rickii101: Hey! You're back too! And don't worry, I have some very wicked plans x)**

**Soccerchic6: I'm glad you like it so far! :D**

**Night-Weaver369: Oh, I just had to do that to Cali xD it was just the best joke I could think of at the time xD and boom! Here's your update!**

**Viktorskrumpet: Vicky! I'm glad you're back! And yes, much bickering for Cali and Daryl x) they've forgotten how to be nice to each other! And thanks dear! It's good to be back!**

**xXBXx.: Here you go! Good to see you again!**

**Caitlin: Well, I hope this will keep you busy! Enjoy! :D**

**Thanks for all the updates guys! Remember to review!**

**Love you Little Zombies!**

**~Eris**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's note: Whoo! Alright! This would've been up yesterday, but if I were to be completely honest…I got distracted by Halloween x) I had to hand out candy at work, so they made me dress up! And I fake blood'd the shit out of one of my shirts, and walked around with a pickax. When asked what I was, I responded "Zombie Survivor" but in reality, I was Cali. X) And you know what, I got in so much trouble for the shit I kept spouting off xD Cali's not a good influence ladies and gentlemen (if there are any…) for the record.**

**But I made my Cali Costume my profile pic, and if it wasn't for my pale skin and green eyes, I'd probably be a dead ringer for how I imagined her...How do you guys picture Cali?**

**So my Halloween was amazing! How was yours? Did you dress up? Tell me about it!**

**Also, in response to "Save The Last One," Or the newest TWD episode…well…Shane makes it really hard to like him. Agreed?**

**Anyways, seeing as there wasn't much I could go off of with the rest of the first episode and the entirety of the second, there's a good chance that I'll catch up with this episode :D**

Chapter 18: Still Alive But I'm Barely Breathing, Just Praying To A God That I Don't Believe In

Daryl stared at the book in Cali's hand, and then shook his head. "Ya'll are puttin' too much faith in tha' God of yers. He ain't here, so get the hell over it." He growled, and stormed off. Cali stood there, shocked by the way he reacted, and could only stand there. She fingered the spine of the bible, before she shoved it in her bag, and ran after him, leaving Carol to cry.

"Hey!" Cali called, as she pushed passed Shane and Andrea after Daryl. "Dixon!"

Daryl didn't respond, but he did stop moving. He waited for her to come around. Cali stopped in front of him and bent over, trying to catch her breath. Shit, it was honestly one of the hotter days she'd experienced out here. "Christ Nia, ya think it's tha' bad?"

She almost wasn't able to respond, she felt like she was breathing through wet cotton, but that wasn't why she was out here. "What-" Wheeze. "The hell was that?"

"Whut?"

"You can't just do that. You can't shut down God, not in front of them like that. Especially not Carol. Come on Daryl, she lost her kid, don't you think you could care a little bit more?"

"They think prayin' tuh some empty promise gonn' get them anywhere? They wann' find that girl, they gotta look. She ain't gonn' be handed out on some silver platter."

"We're still looking." Cali argued as she pulled off Glenn's hat and pulled the back of her hand over her forehead. It was way too damn hot, and why didn't anyone else look as trashed as she felt?

"No, they ain't. They givin' up. They gave up on Merle, shit, they gave up on tha' black woman." Daryl scoffed, anger etched onto his face. "They ain't writin' that little girl off like they writin' everyone else off."

Cali wanted to respond, but before she could, Rick walked over and announced that he, Shane, and Carl were going to keep looking, and the rest of us were supposed to head back to the highway. While the 'adults' talked it over, Cali dropped down to her knees and motioned for Carl to come over. He walked over with a smirk. "What do you want now woman?"

"Boy, I know you ain't talking to me like that." Cali smirked right back. "You'll be careful right?"

"Awh, look who's worried."

"Hey, every time you do something stupid, I'm usually blamed for it." Cali winked. "Besides, if you don't come back soon, I'll be stuck with all of them for company. And you know that you and Sophia are way more fun to play cards with." Cali stood back up, and swayed for a moment or two, dizzy as shit. Once composed, she mussed Carl's hair. "See you soon kiddo."

"Alright Cali." He grinned up at her. "Find Sophia for me, okay?"

"Anything for the lovebirds." Cali stuck out her tongue. Carl just shrugged.

"At least I have a _shot_ with mine."

"You're evil."

* * *

It wasn't long back into their trek back towards the highway that Glenn robbed his hat back, and the sun only beat down on Cali harder. She could tell something was wrong, but she didn't want to draw too much attention to it…then again…it was weird for her to be that quiet anyways.

"Ow." She mumbled as she smacked into Lori, who had stopped mid stride. Then Cali realized that the rest of them had stopped too. Huh, she must've missed something.

"That was definitely a gunshot." Lori stated.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded.

"Why just one?" Lori was about to go off on another one of her tangents, and Cali didn't seem to have the mental capacity to deal with that right now. Or the patience…seeing as the fact that they had stopped moving now had her agitated beyond all belief.

"Prolly took down a Walker." Daryl answered again. Lori flipped on him.

"Do not patronize me. Rick wouldn't risk a shot for just one Walker, neither would Shane. Something's going on."

"Nothin' we can do about it here. Le's keep movin'." Daryl ordered, and Cali, Glenn and Lori started moving, but Andrea and Carol decided now was a good time for a heart to heart.

"I'm sorry, about Sophia." Andrea started. "Believe me when I say I understand what you're going through."

"Thank you." Carol sniffed. "It's the not knowing that's killing me. She could be anywhere, and I really don't want her to end up like Amy-" One look at Carol's face, and Cali could tell she immediately regretted that statement, but it was too late. Carol had said it, and she couldn't take it back. Cali's nails dug into her palm, as the memories of that night erupted in her head again. She could smell the fish, hear the screaming, and she could feel the blood running down her palms from the mass of splinters she'd received trying to climb up that tree.

She could feel her loss ripped open, and poured out all over again.

When Cali opened her eyes, there was blood on her hands from her nails, and when she looked away, the first thing her eyes landed on was the pink, white and blue bracelet that was tied around Andrea's wrist. Its partner nestled somewhere up on the quarry, in Amy's grave.

Cali's agitation became full on anger then, and she was about to step forward when Glenn placed a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head. She pushed the pros and cons through her hazy mind before she agreed with Glenn. She'd let that one slide.

"We…we're just all hoping and praying she'll come back." Andrea finally spoke. Cali could've thrown her arms up in exasperation.

That'll set him off.

"Ya know whut? It's no good, this hopin' and prayin'. We're gonn' keep lookin' for tha' little girl, and she's gonn' be fine. Good Lord people." Daryl spat at them, before heading back to the front of the group. He chucked a water bottle at Cali. "Drink it up Nia, yer lookin' a little boiled."

"Asshole." She muttered.

Andrea looked at Cali, "How do you put up with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"He treats you like you're stupid. And he's so…standoffish."

Cali snorted, and uncapped the water she'd been thrown. "Standoffish? Hardly."

"You don't think he comes across that way?"

Cali took a drink, then nearly spat it out when it got into her mouth. Goddamn, it was just as warm as everything else. "No. he just doesn't like speaking without a point. He doesn't like to waste his words."

"He talks to you just fine, and it's causal conversation too. Why does he waste words with you?"

Cali screwed the cap back on the bottle, and looked Andrea straight in the eyes. "Because I listen to him. You should try it sometimes. He's pretty smart."

* * *

It was when Daryl told them that they were about a hundred yards 'as the crow flies' that Cali knew something was seriously wrong. Because, for the last ten minutes or so, she could see her dad in the trees. He was waving, and smiling, and trying so hard to get her attention. Holy shit, she'd been in the sun way too long. Her body felt disconnected, her head was hazy, and she was seeing shit. However, she'd hoped that she'd be able to keep it together until they reached the RV. If she needed to throw up, she'd have to wait. As long as she kept her eyes on Glenn's back, and didn't step out of line, she could consider herself okay.

Then the screaming started, and she wanted to scream too. The screaming sounded just like Amy. Oh God. Cali tried to pinpoint the screaming, but she couldn't really tell where it was coming from. Glenn grabbed her arm and dragged her to where Andrea was being hovered over by a Walker, but they were all still too far to really help her.

Then, in an entrance that Cali would've found a little to ridiculous even if she wasn't slowly losing her mind, some girl, rides in on a damn horse with a caveman like club and knocks the shit out of the Walker. "Lori? Lori Grimes?"

"I'm Lori."

"You need to come with me. Carl's been shot."

"What?" Was the collective outburst from the entire group.

"Come on Lori, Rick needs you. So does Carl." Lori immediately rushed over to the girl and her horse.

"What? We don't know this girl!" Daryl protested, but no one listened, including the girl, as she gave them directions to their farm and rode off, like she was part of some weird lesbian love story. Everyone just sort of watched the two women leave, until the Walker sat back up. "Shut up." Daryl hissed, and shot the geek in the brain.

Cali, stared at the geek for a few seconds, before she dropped to her knees and started vomiting. Glenn knelt down to pull her hair out of the way, but recoiled when he touched her skin. "Holy crap! She feels like she's on fire."

"Goddamn it!" Daryl snarled, and tilted her face up towards his. "Shit, you dumb bitch, didn't ya drink the water?"

"Yeah. But it was hot." Cali answered through the nausea.

"Fuckin' heatstroke." Daryl growled and pulled Cali back up to her feet. "Come on now Nia, we almost there."

"We better be." Glenn looked at Cali. "She's not made for Georgia…"

"Yeah, no shit." Cali glared at his general direction, because right now, there was no way she could tell where he was.

"Com' on. Let's get back." Daryl turned back on the rest, and started leading them up the slope. "Fuckin' idiots, alla em."

"Are you guys okay?" Dale's voice called down to them as they got a little closer to camp.

"Carl got shot!" Glenn called back.

"What? Carl got shot? How?"

"We don't know! Some girl on a horse came and got Lori and rode off!" Glenn explained as he got himself and Cali over the barrier, then Glenn passed Cali over to Daryl. She was bare conscious at this point, her head lolling, but her skin did feel like it was on fire.

"And you let her go?"

"Right ou' my asshole man!" Daryl snarled. "Plus she knew Carl's name. Rick's too." He and Cali made their way over to Merle's bike, where he sat her down. Dale followed them. "Now what's wrong with her?"

"Heat stroke." Glenn answered.

"No." Cali shook her head. "Can't be that bad." She smiled at Dale, but he just shook her head.

"We should get her inside."

"Or, you could get her to that farm. We should head that way." Glenn sighed.

"What? We can't leave! What if Sophia makes her way back?" Carol asked.

"If Sophia came back and we were gone, that would be awful."

"Look, we'll wait tuh leave just yet. We'll rig up a sign an' leave her some supplies." Daryl threw out. "Just sleep in' the RV."

"If the RV stays, I stay." Dale smiled.

"Me too." Andrea smiled.

"I'm in." Glenn nodded.

"No, you're not you need to go."

"What? Why is it always me?" Glenn sighed.

"Because T-Dog is very sick, and he really needs medicine. He's got a terrible infection, and it's important that he finds some medicine."

Daryl glanced at Cali, and she only smirked. Daryl sighed and walked to the back of Merle's bike, and pulled out the plastic bag. It was filled with orange perception bottles. Cali knew about it, because she had found it when she was cleaning for Merle, and he'd only been worried that she'd touched them. But she knew he had some really good shit. Daryl brought the bag out. "Why didn' you say nothin' before? I got my brother's stash…let's see…crystal, X, nah, don't need none of that. Ah, Oxycodone, there's that. And let's see here's some Amoixicillin. That's ain't generic either, that's the good shit. Merle got the clap on occasion." Daryl explained as he passed the pills over to Dale. Then his attention was back on Cali. "Alrigh' dumb bitch, let's get you out of the sun."

Daryl dragged her into the RV, and found a water bottle that actually had some chill left in it. "Drink that. Alla it. Then, when it's empty, ask sumon' tuh fill it up. Ya gotta get cool again." Daryl gave it some consideration, before he pushed her down on Dale's bed and pulled off her shoes, and she jerked her feet away.

"I'm dizzy, not drunk. I've got the shoes covered."

"Ya ain't just dizzy, it was bad, wasn't it?"

"Not really."

"Then who were you waving at?" Daryl countered. Cali stopped, and stared at him.

"What?"

"In the woods. Who was in th' trees?"

Cali looked down, and shivered. "My dad."

Daryl stared at her, not really sure what to say…until finally…"Ya ain't gonn' cry…are ya?"

Cali grabbed one of the pillows and smacked it against Daryl's head. "You're an asshole."

"Dumb bitch. So tha' a no?"

"That's a no." Cali smiled. "Hallucination or not, it was kinda nice." Cali fanned herself, and decided to fuck it, and she pulled off her tank top and let the cool air give her a hug. She already felt better. Daryl had turned the other way, and she snickered.

"Yer a weird little fuck." Daryl stated, still looking the other way.

"Hey Daryl."

"Whut."

"No, look at me."

Daryl tossed his eyes in her general direction, but kept them locked on her eyes. "Whut?"

"Merle was the only Dixon with the clap right?"

A massive smirk crossed Daryl's face, and he walked over to Cali, and slid his hand back into her hair, and pulled her mouth towards his. There was little resistence from either side this time, and his tongue didn't even have to fight hers. Although, he'd have to admit, that he liked it a little bit more when she fought back. Oh well, he was sure she'd be back there soon enough.

Cali had to pull away first, she was having trouble breathing anyways, and Dixon certainly wasn't helping anything at this point. Daryl smirked, and pressed another kiss against her mouth. "Well, guess yu'll jus' hav' tuh wait an' see."

* * *

At some point she didn't really remember, Cali had been moved to the table, with a blanket wrapped around her shirtless torso, even though the only guys left were Dale and Daryl, and a pillow to prop her up. There was a bucket right next to her for the vomit that had been making itself more and more known as the sun went down. In some weird, ironic twist that she really wasn't a fan of. But, if she had to pick a worst part of this whole ordeal, it would be that she couldn't even keep a sleeping pill down.

So she got to listen to the weird little pattern of Dale's feet above her as he kept watch, and Carol's crying in the bed and the clinking that came from Andrea playing with the guns. That went one for a good twenty minutes before Daryl popped up and looked pissed as all hell. He looked back toward Carol before holding his hand out to Andrea. "I need my clip."

"Daryl," Cali looked at him through glazed eyes.

"Whut."

"Don…be careful." Cali switched tactics halfway through. He wanted to find that little girl, and she'd be damned if he ended finding her tonight and she'd been the one to stop him.

Daryl nodded, and Cali held out her shaking hand, and held out her pinky. Daryl rolled his eyes, but locked his pinky with hers and then headed for the door. Andrea glanced at Cali, who jerked her head towards the exit. "You want to see what makes him tick, now's a good time to do so, besides, I don't want him out there alone." Andrea waited a few seconds then she followed Daryl out.

Good, maybe Daryl would be able to put some sense in that woman's empty head.

Cali leaned her head back and closed her eyes, testing the waters, to see if sleep would meet up with her tonight.

But each time she closed her eyes, she could hear Amy screaming, and she could only think about Carl and Sophia..

Plus, she'd started to sweat again, couped up in this tiny little area with what had been four other people. She figured it was about time to go pay Dale a little visit.

* * *

The air outside was considerably cooler, and she was grateful for that as she readjusted the black shirt that belonged to Glenn. Cali had a bad habit of stealing clothes from her guys, she wouldn't deny that, and she crawled up the top of the RV. Dale glanced behind her and smiled. "Feeling better?"

"Oh yeah, but it was getting too hot in there too." Cali yawned and streatched herself out on the ground of the RV. She lifted her head up, and stared at the clear night.

All the stars twinkled in response, as if they were welcoming her home. She missed them, those stars, it had seemed like years since she had seen them. Dale gazed at her curiously, then sat back at his post. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Seems too cheap. My thoughts have a high asking price these days."

"Senior discount then."

"No dice. You've had twice as long to earn the money, let's see some of it then." Cali gave the man a grin. "Seriously though, what's up?"

"Just a little bit of prying on my end, nothing too serious…but you and the Dixon boy huh?"

Cali felt the heat rush to her face, and she turned her face back towards her stars. "Not…really…"

"Awh. How come?" Carol's voice asked from the ladder as she crawled up herself. Cali chewed on her lip.

"Well, there's a few reasons. For one, he'd a Dixon."

"That's never bothered you." Dale smiled, "Don't pretend it does now."

"Fine." Cali crossed her arms. "The truth of the matter is, I think these last few days have turned me off to the idea of relationships, any kind."

"How do you figure?" Carol asked. Cali shrugged.

"Look at Lori and Rick, they're most likely shattered beyond repair right now, because they've placed their stock in others. Rick and Lori depend on each other, but they only exist if Carl's okay. He's their anchor. Now where are they? They have no idea what's up or down. Then there's…you and Sophia." Cali sighed, sure it was a bitchy thing to say, but in Cali's eyes, it was justified after what had happened with the 'Amy' comment. "You can't think of anything else."

"So," Dale turned back to look at her. "You're scared."

"Kinda. Scared I might lose him, although, he does seem to take pretty good care of himself I'd say. But these days, putting all your chips on anyone other than yourself seems kind of like a bad idea, wouldn't you say?"

"California, humans are social creatures, and we weren't made to only depend on ourselves. No one at camp can do it."

"Daryl does a pretty good job of it."

"He seems like it, but he's starting to depend on us, and you, as much as we have been on him. It will eventually become a two way street. That's just how people work." Dale smiled. Cali could only smile.

"That's how normal people work Dale, and you seem to forget who you're dealing with sometimes."

"We're all abnormal. It depends on how you really feel." Carol finally spoke. "How do you honestly feel about Daryl?"

"Well," Cali sighed "I supposed that answer depends on if you can get the Clap in your mouth or not..."

* * *

**Thank yous!:**

**Willow: The bible verse sort of scared the hell out of me x/D and my mom was sitting there wondering what I was doing with the bible xD That was quite the day lol. **

**Lucy Freebird: Don't worry Lucy, as soon as I can get them a logical moment together, I'll make sure you get your love!**

**BangDingBing: Yes, Andrea is a bitch, and I was actually not too worried by how their interaction played out in the last episode. It was alright, I don't see them becoming a couple…good thing too, or I would've sued right with you!**

**xNeonxSharpiesx.: Daryl is like…perfection…let's be honest. In that group of people, Daryl is the guy you wanna get with. Smartest investment right there. And after actually watching the episode, it would seems that we don't need to worry over Andrea and Daryl. And yes, Cali was created with the intent of being the Anti-Mary Sue. Cali can't shoot a gun, she can't. Daryl's a dick, he will stay a dick. Because Teddy Bear!Daryl…well…that's just not right.**

**Willow The Collie: I love Pumped Up Kicks! And I had it stuck in my head xD Should've used that song for Shane in my other fic huh? Makes serious sense after what happened in the last episode!**

**xxShatteredSoulxx.: You know, you might be right! Either verse works creepily well, and I loved how the writers snuck them in there! And I loved the pin, reminded me of the webisodes from TWD ;) You should give them a look if you haven't already!**

**Brie: Thanks hon! I'm glad you like it :D Most people don't understand my sense of humor xD**

**Reilaxx: Yay! As long as you're all caught up! And thank you so much! I do worry about controlling Daryl, we know so little about him, it's kind of hard sometimes!**

**Nelle07: XD When I watched that episode, the little Cali that lived in my head was asking that question. That's how the dialog is born for this fic….lol yay for schizophrenia**

**PlaneJane21: Oh, well, that's scary as hell…and I'm glad you like Cali's rambling xD she's pretty much insane…I'm surprised no one's tried to commit her at this point…**

**ViktorsKrumpet: Their relationship is so incredibly unhealthy, you just have to love it xD and yes, half naked Daryl was my gift from me to you xD hopefully the writers give Daryl a break soon so we can see full naked ;D**

**xXBXx.: I don't think we need to worry about Daryl/Andrea none. He seemed pretty disgusted by her unwillingness to live lol.**

**Night-Weaver369: I thought it was pretty effin' creepy too!**

**SixesandSevens: I'm glad you liked it xD**

**Garrsaku4ever: Here you go :D**

**MyMissingHalo: Oh Halo, how I do enjoy your reviews, and you win the 'Review of the Week' prize, because you spotted my honey badger reference ;) Way to always be on top of it! And I think we need to petition to bring 'Bad Ass Andrea' back. I kind of miss her. Oh, and yes…Glenn should know better than to take pills from Daryl xD**

**LillianaKay2011: I'm glad you love it :D**

**TwilightEclps: Well, since Lori failed, Cali would be more than happy to wip her into shape. Thanks for reading**

**Nekuranekomegami: I'm glad you like it :D thanks for the review!**

**CiralFox: Oh okay :D but only because Glenn got a girl too! And here's your update :D**

**Thanks for reading my Little Zombies! Please review!**

**-Eris**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note:**

**HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT! NEXT EPISODE, SHIT WILL BE GOING DOWN! AHHHHHH!**

**Ahem, and hello guys :D**

**So, sorry if this lacks its usual luster. I kind of got dumped on my ass. So I really hope it's up to par, but I really just can't bring myself to see it. Haha. **

**Anyways, enough about me, onto the next chapter!**

**Oh, one thing though. That was a goddamned Waterlogged Walker in the well. Those TWD fuckers are on FF! I know they are! Well, they'd better add Cali in there!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own! And this chapter has spoilers, swearing, violence, drug use, and projectiles. Enjoy!**

**Shameless Author Plug: I'm also on like a One Shot Roll lately lol, any requests? :)**

Chapter 19: We All Feel Like We're Breaking Sometimes. I Won't Let You Go Tonight

"Wait, wait wait." Cali held up her hands to stop the interrupting flow of the two voices that were hell bent on finishing their lecture. "So you _can't_ get it in the mouth?"

"No, California, you can." Dale had his hand covering his mouth, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, because Carol was taking this conversation incredibly seriously, and Cali was having too much fun repeating her seventh grade sex ed class to stop now. Her wide brown eyes shown with innocence that was perfectly faked, down to the shimmer of the irises as she asked a question. Cali was, in a word, brilliant at manipulation. Dale was greatly impressed.

"You can't get it through just making out." Carol reminded the daft little girl in front of her. Oh lord, if these kids didn't figure things out, they'd have forty little Dixons rushing around. And that, was a thought that could cause a migraine and a half. Cali seemed pretty damn proud of herself though, but the innocent eyes still shone, but were killed with her next sentence.

"That bastard's lucky. I'll go take of the honey off his bike then." Cali grinned evilly at the two adults next to her on top of the RV. They were waiting for Daryl and Andrea to mosey on back from the woods, hopefully, with an extra set of footsteps.

"You put honey on his bike?" Dale asked, shocked.

"Yeah. Of course, sticky leather is nothing compared to mouth clap!" Cali defended herself, arms crossed over Glenn's black t shirt. "I swear, in my Hazy Heatstroke Head, it was a perfectly logical idea."

"Logical? Pissing off Daryl Dixon was logical?" Dale asked, switching the gun in his hands to the other shoulder.

"God, why is everyone still so wary of him?" Cali narrowed her eyes. "Are you expecting him to like, flip a Merle or something? Listen, when he wakes up and starts calling me 'Lil Bird', then you can say we have a problem. Okay?" Cali smiled, enjoying the fact that she was now lecturing them.

Carol only smiled and tossed her another water bottle. "Here. Keep drinking. What will really piss him off is if you don't get better."

"I agree with her, one hundred percent." Dale mentioned, and motioned towards the water bottle with a grand flourish, one that reminded her of her grandfather. She rolled her eyes, and drank the water bottle. She didn't see the point however; she had been feeling fine for a long while now. Actually, once she'd been dragged from the bed and asked to chill with Angsty Andrea at the table.

"Not like it was going to kill me." Cali sighed. "I'm getting harder and harder to kill." She dropped the bottle and lay back down on the roof, eyes on the stars. She trailed over each one, trying to discover where the ones she grew up with.

She couldn't scientifically prove it, but it seemed like there were much more stars now. And it was hard to beat Wyoming out for stars. She's spent her summers lying out on a trampoline with her friends, watching the sky, and trying to find the difference between a shooting star and a satellite. Huh, why hadn't she missed that until she saw the sky, twinkling with a greater magnitude then she remembered. Carol was staring at her, she could feel it. "Yeah?"

"What's up there that you seem so confused by?"

"There are more stars." Cali's answer was short, and it didn't seem to sum up what she was trying to say, what she felt behind this statement. It was getting harder and harder to do that lately. Everyone used to be on the same wavelength. Survival. The big bugger, but now, after the CDC, they were off on their own. Hell, even Glenn seemed distant from her lately, and Cali couldn't help but grasp the pieces she still had, clutching them tighter so they wouldn't float away from her. She didn't want to lose anymore.

Carol and Dale's heads were facing the sky now too, eyes scanning, and they seemed to see what she saw. The amount of stars had multiplied, and it was almost impossible to understand that. Cali kept blinking, and expected it to disappear. It didn't fit in her world anymore. The stars were closer now, beautiful and almost embracing each other they were mobbed so close together. The clusters were massive, and they stood united against the darkness of the sky, shining out against them, all of them smiling down at the earth as they reached for the moon.

It was too beautiful for Cali's world. It didn't belong anymore.

"Wow." Carol breathed, and Dale only smiled as he stared up.

"My late wife, used to say how she believed that stars were the good in people, and when someone died, the darkness of their soul would paint the night sky, and their good would shine against it. It was a little thing of beauty for their loved ones to look at. So they could remember the good of the people, rather than the bad. She went on to say that during a horrible massacre, the bad was left on the planet, and the greatness was brought up to the sky, that way, the people who lived through the terrible experienced had something beautiful to look at. So they wouldn't give up hope." Dale looked down at the two women with him. "My wife was very insightful."

"You wife, just rekindled that fire I thought I lost." Cali grinned at the old man, and Carol wiped a few tears from her eyes. Their moment was ruined when there was a snap in the forest. Three heads flew towards the noise, but they saw nothing. Dale lifted the gun off his shoulder.

"Here," he held it out to Carol. "I'll go check it out."

"I don't know how to use that thing!"

"Cali?" Dale asked. Cali shook her head.

"Daryl keeps saying he's going to teach me to shoot, but we don't exactly have ammo for target practice. Sorry."

Dale sighed, and went towards the ladder, but stopped when he saw the two figures coming out of the woods. Carol hopped up on her feet, but Cali stayed stretched out on the top of the RV. Her eyes would explain just as much as her eyes would. And when she heard Dale sigh, and Carol take off crying, well, she knew what had happened. There was no sweet little girl with them. Andrea and Dale started bitching at each other. Cali sighed and stared back up at the sky.

_Do you think I'm doing good here guys? Because I feel like I'm drowning._

She pulled herself off the roof of the RV, and trailed herself down the ladder, just in time to see Daryl stalk off back towards that truck they'd slept in last night. Cali debated her options. One, she knew he'd be needing someone, just like everyone else did. But also, he's probably still back in an angry state of mind. He'd be pissed at the situation. She chewed her lip, and tossed another look up at the stars. She gave a grin, and followed Daryl.

"Hey, Dixon." She walked up, smiling. He only glanced at her before tossing his shit in the back of the truck. "Decide against sleeping in the RV?"

"Can't sit ther' and listen tuh Carol cry and Andrea twitch. I just can't fuckin' take it anymore." He ran a hand down his face. "Rathe' sleep outside."

"Daryl, you can't stay out here. We want to keep the group together."

"'M fine." He looked at her. "Ya feelin' better Nia?"

"Sound as an Irish pound." She grinned and sat on the gate of the truck. "But, it'd make me feel better if you were in the RV with me."

"Why?

"Because I don't want you outside alone, I mean, duh." Cali rolled her eyes. "It's not safe."

"'M fine." He repeated again. Cali stared at him.

"No, you're not." Cali shook her head. "She'll turn up. I know she will. If she went Walker, we would've seen her by now." Cali grabbed his arm. "She's out there, and she'd okay. We'll find her." Daryl stared at her, and his eyes were downcast.

"Shouldn't be tha' hard. Her trail just doesn' fuckin' end Nia." He growled and made eye contact. Cali dropped down off the gate and wrapped her arms around Daryl. He didn't hug her back, but she didn't expect him too. She wasn't the one who needed comforting.

"Every trail ends. She's out there." Cali whispered, and squeezed a little tighter. Daryl glanced down at her, and narrowed his eyes.

"Yer bein' oddly optimistic."

Cali got off the man, and jumped back up on the truck. Then she tugged on Daryl's hand so he'd followed her up. He stared at her in the way only he could, before he followed her up. She grabbed his hand, and looked back up at the stars. "I'm being optimistic, because we're not as done as I thought we were. And we're definitely not as alone as I remembered."

Daryl followed her gaze up, and he stared at the sky with her. And, for the umpteenth time since he met her, Daryl found himself wondering how the hell Nia could pull something like that out of nothing. He pulled his gaze away from the sky, and looked down at the girl again. She was beaming up at the stars. "See? It's everyone that's gone. The brighter the star, the newer the soul." She continued to talk. "If we lost Sophia, then we would have one bright ass star. All those stars are equally bright." She griped his hand. "And, that means Carl's okay too. Which, is the greatest news I've heard all day. I love that little boy Daryl. And that little girl. We're not going to lose either of them. The stars say so."

"Ya willin' tuh bank it all on th' stars Nia?" Daryl asked, eyes following the same stars he had since birth.

"The stars have been there every night, since this shit when down. It's the only constant we have now. There are no longer taxes, and death isn't even constant anymore. If I had to bank on anything…it'd have to be the stars."

Daryl looked back up, then smirked. Figures, he needed something to give him a push back towards logic, and it was the crazy little bitch. "Alrigh' com'n Nia. Let's git back intuh the RV."

"Alright." Nia beamed up at him. "But, one thing first."

She pulled her fist back, and sunk it into his stomach. "Ow! Ya fuckin' crazy bitch!" He glared at her. "Wha' in th' holy fuck was tha' fer?"

"Oh, that was for letting me believe that I was in any danger of getting the clap. At all." Nia snickered, but he also caught her wincing as she flexed her fist. Ha, take that bitch.

"I don' hav' the fuckin' clap Nia!"

"Oh, well good! Now we both win." Nia gave him a shit eating grin before skipping, fuckin' skipping back towards the RV. Daryl pinched the bridge of his nose.

_That fuckin' bitch was gonna be the death a' him._

* * *

Cali woke up that morning more lethargic and fuzzy headed then she had been in a long while. She had fallen asleep with her face pressed against the wall, so she had imprints of that on her face, and honestly, no memory of a struggle to fall asleep. She lifted her head up and saw Carol sitting across from her, a big ol' smile on her face.

"Wanna tell me what I missed?" Cali asked, moving slowly to avoid a head rush that was just dying to attack her. She could feel the damn thing, just waiting for her to move.

"A lot." Carol admitted. "I didn't know you could sleep so soundly."

"I normally don't." Cali admitted. "What happened? I can't remember a think."

"Oh, I didn't think you would. Daryl snuck some pill into the water bottle he bet you couldn't chug. He's a smart one."

"_DARYL FUCKING DRUGGED ME!_"

"Well, he only drugged you after you laughed until you were crying when he came into the RV with honey all over the seat of his pants."

Cali busted up laughing again, her head rush attacking at that exact moment. But she didn't care. Oh no, she didn't care at all. If anything, the head rush was totally worth it. Too damn bad she couldn't remember shit!

"California, it's that laugh that got you into trouble in the first place." Dale attempted to chide her from the driver's seat, but it wasn't happening. She felt too fucking satisfied with herself over that one.

"Sorry guys, but that was totally worth it." Cali grabbed the empty water bottle, and shook her head. "Although, I didn't expect the drugging as retaliation. Apparently, we're playing a new ball game."

Carol went to respond, but was too distracted by the scenery, which was no longer Walker scented highway, but huge rolling fields and a picture perfect farm house.

To her, it was hell. The place looked amazing, and beautiful and safe. But then again, so had the fucking CDC, and there was no way in _hell_ that she was going to live through another CDC-like episode. That couldn't happen to her again. She was sick of having to fight excessively hard to even get the choice to survive. Carol had close to the same look on her face.

They finally pulled up though, and the all piled out of the cars, and stood in a half circle as Rick and Lori came to address them. The silence was suffocating, and for once, Cali didn't feel like being the one to break it. Finally though, the peacekeeper did. "How is he?" Dale asked. Everyone stood stiff, waiting for the answer.

"He'll pull through." Lori smiled. "Thanks to Hershel, and his people and-and-"

"-And Shane." Rick finished. "We would've lost Carl if not for him."

Cali felt relief rush through her body, and she went to meet Shane's eyes. His eyes were dark, and more exposed now that he didn't have hair to hide them behind. He looked at Cali, and mouthed _Thank you._ That was twice now that she'd seen him prove his merit, and she honestly respected the hell out of that man.

The camp rushed forward and opened their arms towards one another. Cali smiled as she ran up to Glenn and threw her arms around that boy. She finally felt like she was with her family again. And Glenn hugged her back, and then he froze. "Is that my shirt?"

"It w_as_ your shirt." She admitted. Her narrowed his eyes at her, but couldn't help the smile. He just hugged her again.

Then Cali ran over to Lori, and gave her Swear Jar obsessed friend the biggest hug. Lori smiled down at her. "I'm really glad you're here California. You'll be able to sit with Carl too."

_From Walker Disposer to Babysitter in 0.62 seconds_

"Of course." Cali nodded. "That's why I'm here!"

* * *

Cali stood next to everyone on that farm, as the sweet old man spoke highly of a man named Otis. Apparently this was the man who shot Carl, but had more than made up for it by not only accompanying Shane to get the supplies needed for Carl's surgery, but laying down his life for it too. And judging from Shane's story, Otis saved him too.

_I'll be looking for your star tonight Mr. Otis. Thank you for saving my friend._

Everyone stood in silence, except for a woman who Cali could infer was Otis' lover. Cali's heart broke for the woman. Heroes, in this world, never got what they deserved. In fact, Cali had never seen so many good people robbed blind before in her life. It killed her a little, to watch the way that good men fell. And usually at the expense of someone else. It wasn't fair.

After the funeral, the groups broke up some. Cali just followed Glenn, and they were going to get to work at unpacking the camp. Which, was just as fun as she remembered it being. She hated these damn tents. Honestly, they sucked. And they sucked bad. Goddamn.

But Glenn, oh he was throwing his half of their tent together like no one's business. It annoyed the crap out of her. She was laying out the tarp, and saw Rick pointing out Glenn to the Farmer's Daughter. Cali lifted up her eyes and smirked. "Hey Glenny."

"Oh God."

"What?"

"You called me 'Glenny', which means you need something, or an Asian comment is coming up."

Cali sighed. "You take the fun out of it. Now I'm not going to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Hey." Suddenly, the Farmer's Daughter was right next to them. "So, hear your fast on your feet and know how to get in and out."

Glenn sort of dropped his jaw, and Cali tried to stifle a laugh. _Bow chika wa wa. _

"Got a pharmacy run. You in?" She continued.

"Uhh…" Glenn was frozen.

"He'd be all for it." Cali answered, pulling her hand away from a pole before she sliced her finger. Farmer's Daughter looked down at her. "An' you are?"

"California. Go ahead and call me Cali though. Everyone else does."

"That really your name?"

"As I live and breathe." Cali answered. "And Glenn's good to go."

"Yea-"

"Excuse me, miss? What's the water situation here?"

"Land's got five wells, house is hooked up to the first one. We use the second one for cattle but it's just as pure. Take what you need. There's containers over in the generator shed." She smiled at Dale, and then turned back to Glenn. "I'll go get your horse ready."

Quick as she came, she was gone again. Glenn looked at Dale. "Horse?"

"Boy," Cali smirked. "You'd just better hope it ain't bare back."

Glenn looked sick before Cali busted up laughing. She jumped up, and told Glenn she'd be back. She wanted to get her bag out of the RV before things got too hectic. Plus, she kind of liked having her bat with her at all times. So she trotted off towards the RV.

On the way, she caught Daryl stalking off. Cali pulled her hair out of her knot, and let it tumble down to her shoulders. It was still pin straight, even after being up. It annoyed her to no end. But she pulled the rubber band over her tumb, and took aim.

_Fire._

She wasn't a Dixon, so rather than the back of the head like she'd wanted, it popped him one in the shoulder. He flipped around, eyes on fire, until he realized it was her. Then he just looked smug. "Enjoy yer nap?"

"Enjoy your sticky ass." She smirked back. His eyes narrowed.

"Ho' th' fuck did you 'member tha'?"

"Well, maybe whatever you drugged me with wasn't strong enough." She countered. Daryl snorted.

"Yeah right, I know how to mix shit. Ya probably still reelin' a little ain'tcha."

"I can neiter confirm or deny that." She shrugged. _Reeling like a goddamn fish. _Her eyes landed on the crossbow slung across his back. "Heading out again?"

"Look around some more. Try and find her."

"When are you going to be back?"

"Dark. I guess."

"Going to be careful?" She asked, walking towards him, looking for her rubber band. Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Why do you ask such stupid shit?" he rolled his eyes. "Ya act like I'd go jumpin' intuh some Walker orgy or somethin'."

Cali didn't answer, she just held out her pinky. Daryl rolled his eyes, but locked his finger with hers. She grinned up at him. "Good." He just rolled his eyes again, and pressed his lips against hers for a minute, before he turned and headed back towards the woods.

"Oh and Daryl! If you do get pulled into a Walker Orgy, be sure you use protection okay!" Cali hollered, loud enough for most of the people around them to hear. Daryl whirled back to her.

"Shut up you goddamned, bike ruining bitch!"

"You deserve it you Walker fucking, drugging asshole!"

Then, before she could even anticipate it, Cali's rubber band flew through the air, and hit her right in the eye.

"Ow!"

"Learn tuh aim Nia! Then we'll talk!"

* * *

"You know, you probably just scared them all away." Glenn sighed as he screwed around with a pair of binoculars. It was just him and Cali in that little treed area, and he was screwing around, and she had was trying to hit a crudely drawn picture of a Walker taped to a tree with her rubber band. Was there more productive things she could be doing? Absolutely. But right now? Her focus was aim.

Revenge would be swift, and it would be sweet.

Glenn had trained his eyes and something, and Cali could just hear him mutter. "Hello Farmer's Daughter." Cali only rolled her eyes. Glenn, he had some skills, sure. Suave, was so not one of them. She pulled the rubber band back, and it hit the Walker's shin.

_Damn it._

"Ah!" Glenn jumped, and Cali turned around. Lori was standing right in front of Glenn's view. Cali sighed, and turned back towards her Walker.

"Hi. Here's your list." Lori handed off a piece of paper towards Glenn. "And, uh there's one other item, I wrote it down separately, if we could be real discreet about it, that'd be great."

Cali looked over there, and realized that Lori couldn't see her. She was sort of concealed behind the tent. _And they say _I'm_ not aware of my surroundings._ She rolled her eyes and Glenn unrolled the paper. "Uh, Lori. What is it?"

"Kind of missing the point about the whole 'discreet' thing Glenn." Lori explained, still trying to make her exit.

"I, uh, I just, I need to know where to find it." He explained, looking like a little interaction from her wouldn't kill anyone.

"Try the feminine hygiene section." Lori answered. Cali furrowed her brows. _Me and Andrea scoured the shit out of that highway, and we're pretty stacked up on pads and tampons. What the hell would Lori need?_

"Oh, okay. Yeah, totally. Consider it done." Glenn nodded. Lori smiled and walked away. Glenn walked back over to Cali and shoved the piece of paper in her face. "What is this?"

Cali grabbed the piece of paper, and read the two words scribbled down there. Her eyes widened massively, and cut them back towards Glenn. "Doesn't matter. But you do what she said, and you don't tell anyone about this. Understand?"

"Yes?" Glenn looked at her funny. "But what is it?"

"Pray it's nothing." Cali answered before turning her attention back to her Walker doodle. _And I got the sex ed lecture._

* * *

**Thank yous!:**

**LilianaKay2011: If Cali were to lay out her feelings…well…then I wouldn't get to play with the sexual tension, and trust me, I have something fun for that coming up in the next chapter ;) **

**Weibchen: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D**

**And uh…well…it's an STD…**

**Nelle07: Oh believe me, I spend plenty of time ripping out my hair because of Cali and Daryl. It's hard to deal with those idiots! And too be honest, they're still not ready to jump into a real relationship yet. And I'm glad you like Cali's reasoning xD**

**Summerlover1: I'm glad I've become that author who *would* end a chapter with a STD joke…I'm such a classy bitch…lol. And believe me! I'm trying! It's just really hard to get those two there, I mean, they're just not really wanting to jump into a relationship! I promise I will get you that interaction soon! I swear!**

**Willow: Of course Daryl would do that! Hell, if he had answered her straight off, he wouldn't have been Daryl! And I think Cali more then got her revenge. Don't you?**

**And as far as the Shane thing, Cali's a sneaky little shit, and she'll try and figure something out. First, I got to see what she can play off of! Shane's kind of good at keeping insanity hidden.**

**Your costume sounded hot as hell, by the way ;)**

**Lucy: You're so not the only one pushing for romance my dear :D Cali just doesn't feel like playing nice with Daryl for some reason. She's a bitch. No lie.**

**MonkeyPaws: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it :D And seriously, the fluff is so much harder. Lol. **

**I Hunt Walkers With A Bow: Fucking amazing name. You win that round! And I'm glad you got into the show…it's kind of fucking amazing ;D and I'm really glad you like Cali! :DD She seems to be quite popular!**

**Garrasaku4ever: I'll update as fast as I can! Thanks for the review!**

**xNeonxSharpiesx: Oh, I know. Cali's ingrained herself into the show for me. When I watch it, all I hear is Cali going on and on about what she thinks, and how she wants to play. Seriously, they took the church idea, walkers on the high way, now they also took my Waterlogged Walkers…can they just make Cali real? Please?**

**And I know! I miss LFF, and I have the next chapter for that one all ready to go, but season two still has like…nine episodes left lol. So we'll just have to wait and see! I don't think I could handle writing both! My poor brain would get all sorts of confused.**

**And I have read it, and I freaking love it!**

**Night-Weaver369: He is a bastard, but damn it, he's a good hearted bastard. And you saw it coming? Shocked the hell out of me xD**

**Vashti415: I'm so glad you like it! And I really appreciate your review! Thank you so much!**

**Spoiledrotten94: Thank you so much!**

**Nekuranekomegami: That is one hell of a username. Lol. And I'm so glad you love it! Thanks for the review!**

**Doll-Fin-Chick: I'm glad you're hooked! And I'm glad Cali's STD outburst didn't scare you off ;) thanks for the review!**

**Anon: Hey, I might throw up some random chapters, but mostly, I'll probably just have expansions off of what happens in the episodes. Anything I can screw around with ;) and I'm glad you love them! I'll make sure you get more of them!**

**White Wolf Writer05: Daryl is a goddamned Bad ass! No doubt! And I'm kind of hoping they throw Cali on the show. I would freaking love that. Seriously, I would. Thanks for the review!**

**Walking Primrose: You're very welcome! Thank you for such high praise!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's **_**Rant**_**:**

**Yup, this week you guys get a rant. Go ahead and ignore it if you'd like. I just gotta say this.**

**Eris' List Of Striking Similarities Between Season Two and Landing Feet First:**

**Walkers on the Highway. Alright, this was kind of a common ground thing, and I can chalk this one up to common since. What better way to freak out a group after a serious near miss then an actual herd (or hoard) of Walkers.**

**The Church. Was not in the comics apparently, so the writers pulled that one out of their asses, which is nice, it's good for a moral compass and reflection (and nasty redneck sex), but I mean, the church, right after the herd? **

***SPOLIER FOR EPISODE FIVE* In **_**Chupacabra**_**, Merle kind of mentions something about Daryl doing shrooms. Daryl had a drug filled past in mine too!**

**Oh, and of course, there's the Water Logged Walker, in the well. I mean, I kind hoped I'd grabbed that one. **

**Who knows, maybe I'm reading into this too hard, or maybe I'm just born to write for TWD, but AMC, if you are reading this, COME ON! PLEASE ADD CALI! IT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE AND THEN SOME TO SEE HER ON SCREEN!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, and there is gore, swearing, mentions of sex and pill popping. Not to mention some adorable fluffy moments. Enjoy!**

**Thank you, and thanks all my Little Zombies out there!**

**-Eris**

**Oh and Shameless Author Plug: If you guys are in the mood to cry, you should check out my fic "Death's in the Goodbye" ;)**

Chapter 20: You And Me Going Fishing In The Dark

Cali stood with T-Dog, Shane, Lori, Dale, Glenn, Andrea and Maggie as they stared down the entrance to the well, and with an almost breath, finally spoke. "What in the fuck is that?" It looked as though Lori wanted to call Cali out for the language, but then she was reminded of the lack of children with them, and she kept her mouth shut.

"Looks like it's been down there a while." Glenn was looking at it almost impressed. The thing was nasty, bloated and reminded Cali of the undead version of the Michelin Man. _Buy my tires, or I'll eat your innards_ Cali thought to herself, a slight smirk crossing her face. Christ, advertising had gotten much easier since the end of the world.

"Looks like we got us a swimmer." Dale countered, pointing his flashlight on the creature.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked, uneasy look on his face.

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea answered bitingly, and it grated against Cali's nerves. She couldn't eloquently explain why suddenly the older blonde woman was suddenly grating completely on her nerves, but she was. Everything Andrea said lately was either obnoxiously depressing, or cold biting sarcasm.

What a fucking ball of sunshine she was.

"We gotta get it out of there." Lori shook her head. "God knows what it's doing to the water."

"Yeah." Shane nodded. "We gotta get it out."

"Easy," T-Dog shrugged. "We put a bullet in its head, and pull it up with rope."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, no." Maggie shook her head.

"Why? It's a good plan."

"It's a stupid plan." Andrea cut in. "If that thing hasn't already contaminated the water, then blowing its brains out will finish the job."

"Don't think anyone will be drinking from this anyways." Cali shook her head, hip cocking out. "At least not until we see what happens to the cattle. They were the ones drinking it right?" She looked at the Farmer's Daughter, who nodded in response to her question.

"Water's water." Andrea spat back at the girl. Cali felt herself rubbing her teeth over her lip. _Now you've got some backbone. Reminding me more of our fearless leader every day, of course, that woman fought _for_ us. _

"She's right." Shane told the group.

"So that thing's got to come out alive?" T sighed.

"So to speak." Shane managed a smirk.

"How are we going to do that?" Glenn asked, and Cali looked at Shane.

"We're dying to see what you come up with." She gave a shit eating grin.

"Well," Maggie started. "We'll have to pull him up I suppose."

"How?"

"We have rope."

"I'm not sure what good the rope will be." Cali sighed. "The Walker's all…squishy…and well, rope could cut through him. He's waterlogged, so he's probably heavy as shit."

Maggie stared at Cali for a second. "Ya got quite th' mouth on you. Didn't yer mama tell you not to swear?"

Her words poked at Cali's heart, but she took a deep breath, and responded the way her mother had whenever _she_ had been asked this question. "I'm from Wyoming. Swearing's the national dialog. Get fuckin' with it."

The men in the group tried damn hard not to smirk too wide, while the three women just looked mortified. Finally Lori shook her head. "That's it California, we're starting a swear jar."

"Goddamnit."

* * *

_Canned ham? That's our ace in the hole? Fucking canned ham?_ Cali had to keep from sighing as she watched Shane try to Walker fish with a pale, unappetizing chunk of meat on a rope. The Walker didn't seem to into it, but hell, if she was a Walker, she would've called foul on it too. It was fucking white for Christ's sake.

"He ain't goin' for it." Shane sighed.

"That's cuz canned ham don't try to kick and scream while you eat it." T-Dog added wisely from where he towered over the well. Cali nodded, half the appeal of food was the presentation after all.

"He's right. The dead didn't rise and start attacking our cupboards." Lori frowned.

"So, we need live bait." Andrea spoke, slowly and decidedly.

Then everyone turned to look at Glenn.

The Asian bowed his head, and bit his lip. "No." Cali spoke up from where she was crouched over the well. "No."

"We need the bait Cali." Lori explained.

"And I understand that." Cali stood up and dusted off her legs. She was going to need to invest in jeans before long. "But not Glenn. It's always Glenn, so…I'll do it."

"What?" echoed through the group of people.

"God you people act like I don't do shit." She shook her head, and Lori added another dollar to the mental Swear Jar she kept in her head. "I'll do it. Glenn's always stuck doing the absolutely horrible tasks. This is seriously one of the worst. Besides, I weigh less than he does, so pulling me back out would be easier." She explained as she tugged on her string bracelets. Everyone seemed to chew on the idea for a few minutes.

"Hell no." Glenn shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one, this is dangerous as all hell. And you're right, it's _always_ me. But because of that, I know how to handle the situation. Sort of." He scratched the back of his head.

"And? Or is that your best argument?"

"And, if something went wrong, and we dropped you or something…" Glenn rubbed his foot against the dirt. "Honestly it scares me shitless to think of what Daryl would do to me."

"Why would Daryl go after you?" Cali felt a grin stretch across her face, against her will though. She wanted to win this.

"He goes after me anyways! And I'm still waiting for that arrow in my ass for the whole CDC thing…" Cali blushed and looked away, the rest of the group looked confused, save for Lori, who was trying on Cali's shit eating grin. Awesome. "I refuse to give him a reason to skin me alive…well…another reason."

"Besides California, you haven't really been yourself today." Dale tossed in, a small twinkle in his eyes. _Oh that's right, I got drugged _She mentally reminded herself.

Cali gave a sigh, and looked up at the sky. "Alright, alright. You win. You can play Go Fish with the Walker."

* * *

Oh, she hated this. The only thing stopping her from speaking out was the fact that she knew Glenn was nervous as all hell. Cali kept her eye on him as he rattled off to Shane about his haircut. He didn't want to look down, but who could blame him? There was nothing in that hole but a fucking _starving_ Walker.

"Don't worry bud." Shane slapped Glenn's shoulder. "We're gonna get you out in one piece."

"Living piece. That part's important." Glenn spoke up. Cali came up next to him, and she was handed the baseball hat. She gave him a smile, pulled it on over her head, and went to grab her section of the rope. "Nice and slow please." He begged.

"We gotcha."

"Oh," Maggie whimpered. "You people are crazy."

"Actually, this is a bit of a mild day for us." Cali gave a brilliant grin.

"Give us an eye, would you Maggie?" Dale asked, and the Farmer's Daughter came and stood over Glenn, like a blue jeaned angel. Glenn took one look back, and crawled into the well.

"You okay?" She asked almost immediately.

"Yup! Doin' great!" Glenn answered, then his mutter echoed off the walls. "Living the fucking dream."

"Welcome to the Swear Jar Glenn." Cali called down as she kept a tight hold on that rope. They eased the boy down lower and lower, until Cali's heartbeat started to echo in her ears. How low could he possibly go?

Then, there came the awful groaning of metal, and the rope became slack. Cali watched with horror as the pump flew out of the ground, and she flew with it. Honestly, it wasn't some dormant hero gene that caused her to fly towards the slithering rope like Shane and T-Dog. No, for Cali, it was more the fact that she'd almost been white knuckled on that rope, and it had flung her foreword. But, just because she didn't mean to be down there didn't mean she didn't act on it. She grabbed the rope hard, and felt the material slid across her palms, creating a friction that burned hotter than the devil's whore, but she couldn't let go. Not now.

But, Cali wasn't exactly that big, and the rope pulled her foreword, right into T-Dogs back. The older man had managed to grab the pump, and logically, the rest of the Walker Pest Control squad grabbed onto T-Dog. Cali pulled herself up, and began pulling back, along with the rest of them as they tried damn hard to pull that kid up.

"SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Glenn screamed from the well, the sound exlemplified over and over due to the echo. She wanted to call out to comfort the kid, but her teeth were gnashed together so tight, she was sure they would crack.

But the group kept pulling, fighting against the Walker, heat and gravity its-fucking-self. Finally, his tanned arm popped up and he pulled himself foreword. The group left T-Dog and Cali with the rope as they went to help Glenn. Her Asian fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Cali threw the damned rope to the ground, and almost baseball slid over to him, and threw her arms around him.

The kid was shaking, and shaking hard. Cali could only smile at him as she put his hat back on his head.

"Well," Dale sighed. "Back to the drawing board."

_Are you fucking kidding me? It's not like Glenn almost died or anything! God!_ Cali was about to let her inner bitch speak up, but Glenn stood up, and handed the old man the rope in his hands. "Think again."

The rope started jerking, and the Walker started bitching, and Cali's jaw commenced dropping. "Alright, remember that little theory I had about you and North Korea?" She asked, and Glenn nodded. "Don't even fucking try to tell me that I'm wrong."

Glenn only shook his head and laughed, but she could still see him shaking. _You know what Glenn, I think you might even have a little more Bad Ass in you than even Daryl himself._

* * *

Cali sat cross legged by the well while T-Dog gave orders to the rest of the group who continued to pull the Walker out of the well. And because she was such a history nerd, she was snickering to herself at the sight of a black man giving orders to a bunch of white people in Georgia. Oh, if only Professor Wyland had been alive to see this.

So, T-Dog gave encouragement, and Cali sat there picking rope fibers out of the new wounds on her hands. Man, she had this uncanny ability to get herself hurt. Daryl was probably going to be pissed. It wasn't a pretty burn, bright red, and looked like it could start bleeding at any second. And it was on both hands. Christ, how had she survived this long?

"Keep pulling!" T-Dog ordered, and then he gave Cali a nudge, and told her to move out of the way. Cali pulled herself up, and backed off the area. "He's stuck! Pull harder!"

Cali watched as they pulled harder…but the Walker didn't move. And she knew exactly what was going to happen exactly three seconds before the Walker split like a goddamned banana and his lower half went freefalling back into the well with a splash. The gore and the blood painted the dust where she had been sitting moments before, and all she could think with her rolling stomach and screaming palms, was how she had totally fucking called that.

_That's another ten 'I Was Right, Suck It World' points for me._ She thought as the camp stared at the Torso Terror.

"Well, what do we do with…" They never finished their sentence, because T-Dog smashed that geeks head in like he was getting paid to do it.

"Well…we can seal off this well." Dale sighed.

"Might be a good idea." Shane admitted.

"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid. Like shoot it." T-Dog dropped the pump.

"So, who's hungry?"

"Shut up Cali."

* * *

Cali leaned up against the tire of the RV, rubbing burn ointment on her bright red palms and let the night air kiss them before she wrapped them up. She grinned up at the Asian in front of her. "You're my hero Glenn. Not only did you find stuff for the rope burn, but you also found me a box of black hair dye. I love you."

"I love you too Cali." Glenn's face was frozen in a goofy smile. Cali stared at him, trying to understand what had happened that made him completely relaxed, and happy and at ease…then she saw the box of condoms at the top of the bag.

The realization hit her like a crossbow to the face.

"Holy shit Glenn! Did you get laid?" Glenn's smile only got bigger. Cali dropped her jaw. "I thought I recognized that face. But seriously? You got with the Farmer's Daughter?" Glenn only grinned again, then went to deliver the rest of his rations. Leaving Cali in an awed, yet, jealous train of thought, she hadn't gotten laid since the CDC, and here little Glenn goes. Sex with the first girl they run into.

Lucky. Fucking. Bastard.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the RV, and just listened to Carol clatter around in there through the open window. Water would run, dishes would clink, pretty standard noises. It was eerily similar to the lullaby Jim had once created through his dance with insanity and heatstroke. Which lead her thoughts to Jim, and where Jim lays, Amy wasn't too far away.

Luckily, a familiar gait strutted through the RV, steps almost as familiar as her own. Carol spoke up. "I clean up, wanted it to be nice if she came back."

"Fer a second ther' I thought I was in the wrong place."

Oh good. Daryl was back, that was one less thing she had to worry about…right now, the major focus for her was somehow wrapping up her hands…without using her hands.

Goddamnit.

She had the bandages hanging from her mouth when someone spoke again.

"A flower?" Carol's tone sounded more surprised than anything, and it caught Cali's interest.

"'S a Cherokee Rose." Daryl answered. He explained that whatever flower he found for her, came from an old Indian legend where the Elder's asked for something to soothe the souls of the Cherokee mothers, whose kids were dropping like flies. Cali became entranced by the story was well, sitting out there. Daryl was more than a decent story teller, shit the boy sounded like he'd damn well made out with the Blarney Stone. After the story, he spoke again. "I ain't fool enough ta believe tha' there's any flowers out ther bloomin' fer my brother. But I believe, that flower right there, bloomed fer yer lil girl." He sighed.

Cali stood up then, using her back to push off the tire. She walked around the RV, and leaned against the door, waiting for Daryl to come back out. He pushed the door open, and let out a deep breath. She barely shifted her weight, and Daryl whirled around.

He narrowed his eyes, but she just grinned.

* * *

The picture in front of him freaked him out for a second. Nia was leaning against the RV, with shiny red palms, and a bandage hanging from her mouth.

_What the fuck?_

"'Id you fin' 'thing 'ny 'ns?" Nia mumbled through the bandage. Daryl rolled his eyes and plucked the roll from her mouth.

"Whut?"

"Did you find anything?" She gave him a smirk. "Honey Buns."

"Nah, nothing 'portant." He sighed, cuffed her softly upside the head and held up the bandage, but she beat him to it.

"Don't be so sure there isn't a flower for your brother. After all, it's not like he's going by completely unmissed here. You miss him, and I kinda miss the Pride of Atlanta myself." She blabbled off quite quickly. Daryl looked confused for a second, and then narrowed his eyes.

"Ya enjoy yer fuckin' evesdroppin' Nia?" He hissed. She bit her lip.

"It's not technically evesdropping if I was there first."

"Bull-fuckin'-shit! Ya dumb bitch-"

"It was really sweet of you to do that." Nia cut him off, like fuckin' always. "She needed that, and she needed someone to not bullshit her-"

"Nia-"

"And then there's the fact that you're really the only one looking-"

"Nia!" He snarled and she looked up.

"Yeah?"

"We changin' the subject."

"But-"

"Now Nia. I'd rather talk about anythin' else." He ran a hand over his face. Figures, the one good fuckin' thing he's done all day, and he get fuckin' caught doin' it.

"Uhh…" The girl in front of him ran her teeth over her lip, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! Glenn got laid."

"Whu?" Daryl could barely hold his jaw up. "Ya fuckin' serious?"

"Yup." Nia popped her 'p'. "Glenn got some Farmer's Daughter today. Lucky bastard." She rolled her eyes. Daryl smirked. Well, good for the fuckin' chink.

"Alrigh' and whut th' fuck's all over yer hands?" He asked. Nia offered him her open palms, and he saw the bright red welts spread across her palms at an angle. The skin looked like it was barely holding back from breaking.

"Burn Ointment." She responded. Daryl looked down at the bandage in his hands and rolled his eyes.

"Tryin' tuh doctor yerself up were ya?"

"Trying being the key word." She grumbled. Daryl took one of her hands and began wrapping the bandage around it.

"Figgers ya'd get hurt again." He grumbled. "Whut the fuck happen? Ya get stuck in a tree again?"

"Actually, asshole, there was a Walker in the well. So we tried to get him out, but apparently Walkers are too good for canned ham, and we needed live bait. But they wouldn't let me go down, so they used Glenn. Then the pump broke, and Glenn was almost Sushi, but we managed to save him, and he managed to snag the Walker." She took a deep breath. "But, when we pulled up the Chubby Fuck, he got caught and split in half _which I totally saw coming_ by the way. And all our hard work, and near human sacrifice was for nothing." She sighed.

Daryl's head was still stuck somewhere around canned ham. "Huh. Busy fuckin' day then?"

"Eh." She strugged. "Everyone seems really on edge."

Daryl only grunted in response, and pulled her hand up to his mouth, and tore that part of the bandage off with his teeth. Then he started wrappin' the other one. "That damn Walker." She hissed. "Now we gotta watch to see if the cows go fucking insane, because if there's one thing I don't want to deal with, it's a bunch of fucking Walker cows. Seriously, those bitches are annoying enough."

"So ya got rope burn."

"Yeah."

"Tha' was really all ya fuckin' had tuh say."

"Well excuse me for trying to fill your awkward silences." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Huh, seemed like a fair invitation. He tied up the other bandage and brought the girl's mouth to his. She jumped slightly, but then she wound one hand through his short hair, and gave it a good tug. He had to stifle a moan as jolt traveled down his body. Well, looked like Nia was feeling better. She pulled him so that she was pressed against the RV and him, and he pushed her up against it as far as he could. His hand slid down her sides before resting on her hips and she bit her lip, breaking their contact. Her eyes met his with a smirk.

"Jealous Glenn got some?"

"Nah, yer just cuter when you ain't talkin'." He spat right back, before his mouth was back on hers. Nia's hands were starting to sneak up his shirt, and he pushed into her harder.

"Hey!" A voice jolted them both from each other, and caused Nia to jump about eight feet in the air when she identified it. Standing in the doorway of the RV was Carol, th' first real grin on her face since Sophia left.

"I hope you remember our little sex talk California."

Daryl tried not to turn red. Nia just dropped her head into her hands.

_Every fuckin' time._

* * *

**Thank Yous!:**

**Nelle07: xD Hey now, Cali isn't that dirty xD and I swear it's like the God AMC read your review, because lo and behold, now I get to play with Beattoshit!Daryl. oh, Cali's gonna have some fun. **

**LillianaKay2011: Awh, I'm glad you love Cali and Daryl, and I'm glad you caught the 'Sound as an Irish pound' thing ;) no one else did! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Angi Marie: Thanks so much :D**

**Take Life's Chances: I'm so glad you ended up liking the summary xD I honestly hate writing those! And oh Good Lord, I don't think I'd be able to act opposite Norman Reedus xD the director would be like "Okay Kennedy, from your line" and I'd respond "Sweet Jesus you have a nice ass." So yeah…lol…probably wouldn't end well. And I'm waiting for your Walking Dead fic!**

**Summerlover1: STD and loving life xD ahaha, I hope you enjoy the new one! It really was more a filler chapter then anything, but hey, it was a filler episode.**

**Lucy Freebird: Oh, you're gonna love the next chapter dear, I promise ;)**

**Night-Weaver369: I used your idea, hope you don't mind ;)**

**Nekuranekomegami: Awh thank you xD thanks for reviewing Ne!**

**Viktorskrumpet: hey, I kind of measure my worth as an author on how I make people react, so the greatest complement you could've given me was telling me I made you choke on your coffee xD and to be honest, I kind of love this story too! It's nothing more than fun to write, and I believe that it seriously needs to be fun because those people are going fucking insane. And yes, the honey/drugging episode will not be forgotten. No, not in the slightest, and the ball's in Cali's court now. And yeah, Water Logged Walker was pretty nasty.**

**Kettie: I understand your hesitation. Some of the OC fics on this site are…lacking in the character development area, and it literally warmed my heart to know that you'd heard good things about my fic :D and when I get most new readers, they all seem to love how Sassy she it xD and Glenn and Daryl are my favorites too! :D Thanks so much for the review!**

**Littledaydream07: I love you too xD I'm glad you love the fic! And yeah, I understand. Some of the other stories on this sight leave a little to be desired when it comes to character development and plot…you know. Minor things ;) I do enjoy the comics! And I'm glad you like it XD and I love Reedus and Flanery too, believe you me! In fact, my first ever fic on this site was a BDS one! Fun fact!**

**Pinklittlewitch: Well, I hope this update came soon enough! And I'm glad you love Nia xD and your entire request for Landing Feet First is slowly being worked into my plot! So when season two ends, we'll have a ton of fun on that cruise ship! And thanks for shipping Cali/Daryl xD**

**Willow The Collie: Hahah I totally know what you mean. I know exactly what Cali's supposed to look like in my head, but I don't think I could describe her to any of you guys, you know? Ah, the sex talk was incredibly fun to write, and I loved bringing sexy talk back in this chapter. Oh, that was a terrible pun, but anyways, you're right. Lori should've sprung for some birth control, and Daryl totally deserved the honey on his bike! And don't you worry about Cali! Daryl grew up with a drug addict for a brother, I think he knows how much drug to put in a water bottle to knock someone out xD Cali's damn fault for taking him up on the bet! And here was the Well-Walker. Just for you xD**

**xNeonxSharpiesx: I totally agree, and my Author's Rant was actually inspired by the fact that THEY'RE TAKING ALL MY SHIT! But anyways, I like Shane. I think that he made some mistakes, but everyone does. Especially since everything Shane's done, he's done to protect Rick and his family. Even with Otis, if Shane had died, then Carl would've died too, sure could've shot Otis in the head…but if Shane was honest with Rick and told him it was Otis or Carl, there's no way Rick could even begin to be angry with Shane for what he did. Hell, if anything, Shane is the most loyal person of that group. I don't think he's all that bad a guy. Lol, I'll stop ranting now :D thanks!**

**Zombie Killing 101: Hahaha I love your screen name! and I'm glad you enjoy the story! Updates make your day? The reviews make mine personally xD and this story made you fall in love with Rednecks? Lol I live in Cali's hometown. I'm surrounded by them xD oh, and don't worry, that lovely little nickname will be coming back soon!**

**Princess-Dixon: I'm glad you like it, and he totally can! Thanks for the review!**

**Alright guy, thanks for the reviews! Feel like dropping another one?**

**Love you all Little Zombies! **

**-Eris :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Believe me, I'm totally aware that this update is pretty much record time for me, but hell, I got eighteen reviews in only two days, and everyone was just so freaking excited, I didn't feel like making you guys wait…besides, I like being caught up with the show, just makes things easier. **

**Yes, this chapter is long, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind ;) oh no, not my readers! **

**And I do seriously have the best readers out there, no joke. Your reviews are so personal; I feel more like you guys are posting on my Facebook wall rather than anonymously over the internet. So thank you all for that :D I love each and every one of you!**

**And yeah, in episode five, it didn't really say if Glenn went to help search for Sophia, but I figured that I could tweak that, because I got some good ideas for it xD**

**And I do believe I've rambled enough yes? Should I just get on with it?**

**One more: Shane and Rick's 'High School' conversation had me laughing my ASS off. Damn, it was funny XDDD**

**Oh, and for my creative writing class, I have to do a character profile, and I, of course, picked Cali…and one of the requirements is a quote from my character, so let me know people, what's your favorite Cali quote!**

**Alright!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, and in this chapter there will be an appearance of Lori's swear jar, violence, and so much fluff, I might just suffocate you…**

Chapter 21: I Don't Quite Know…How To Say…How I Feel

Cali hopped up the stairs to Hershel's porch and shot a grin at her Asian, who was strumming absentmindedly on a guitar. "Dude! Where'd you get that?"

"Huh? Oh, Dale found it on the highway…didn't you see it?"

"Well…I uh, wasn't exactly the most alert that day." Cali explained with a sheepish smile. "A heatstroke and a drugging will really throw you off your game."

"I'll bet." Glenn snorted, and then looked down at the six string. "You play?"

"I wouldn't say I play, I just memorize." Cali explained, at sat down next to Glenn, hands reaching out for the instrument. "I can get through songs, but I couldn't tell you the notes. One of the curses of this memory of mine." Cali smiled, and ran her thumb down the strings.

"What do you know how to play?" Glenn asked, leaning back in the chair.

"Well…pretty much anything by Bayside…"

"Never heard of them."

"Oh, well go die in a well then." Cali winked and Glenn only glared at her. "Let's see, I know a lot of A Day To Remember…uh…some Snow Patrol, Coldplay, and uh…if I get enough caffeine in my system, I could probably throw down some I Killed The Prom Queen."

"How about…Mumford & Sons?" Glenn asked, his face lighting up. Cali shook her head.

"God, you're such a hipster. But yeah, I think I can pull that off!" Cali closed her eyes, and tried to recall the video she had watched of the kid who played The Cave. Ah! She started pulling her fingers across the string like she remembered, and Glenn grinned.

"It's empty in the valley of your heart, the sun it rises slowly as you walk, away from all the fears and all the faults you left behind." Cali barely sang. She _hated_ singing with a passion, but she figured that a little back country sing along with Glenn couldn't hurt. He started singing the song with her, and shit they sounded pretty decent…like a really jacked up version of Matt and Kim.

"And IIIIIIIIIIIIII will hold on hope and IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII won't let you choke, on the noose around your neck and IIIIIIIII'LL find strength in pain and IIIIIII will change my ways, I'll know my name as it's called again!" The two sang, giant smiles on their faces, until they heard a snort.

Well, make that two.

Daryl stood at the bottom of the porch, a horse behind him. He had a look of pure fucking _snark _on his face. "Well, tha' was gay as shit."

"Was not!" Cali argued, then her jaw dropped. "Holy fucking shit!"

"Whut?"

"Your shirt has sleeves!"

"Fuck ya, and fuck yer music." Daryl scowled. Cali rolled her eyes.

"Here, you might like this one." She popped her knuckles and went back to the strings. "Th' Devil wen' down tuh Georgia, he was lookin' fer a soul tuh steal. He was in a bind cuz he was way behind, he was willin' tuh make a deal-"

"Arigh' I git it." Daryl interrupted her singing with an overly exaggerated Georgian accent, and Glenn's hysterical laughter. "I'm backwoods."

"Iffin th' shoe fits ya I reckon." Cali winked down at the man, who just flipped her off.

"Ha fuckin' ha." He growled as the two broke into another fit of laughter. Cali stopped laughing long enough to get out some words.

"So, what's with the horse?"

"Gonn' keep lookin' fer Sophia." He tugged on the reigns and the horse practically nodded in agreement. "Ya two gonn' sit here and pass a joint around?"

"Oh man, that sounds fun." Cali sighed and looked over at Glenn. "But no, Lawman…well, I guess he isn't much a Lawman now huh? Rick gave us an area to search too. We got the green field or something."

"Yeah, we should probably head over there huh?"

"Yeah, hey, you put the guitar back, and I'll go grab my bat. Meet you over by the entrance to the woods?" Cali asked as she stood up and passed him the guitar. Glenn nodded, and Cali made her way down the steps. "Feel like 'copanyin' a lady?"

"Lady? All I see's a bitch."

"Come on Asshole." She turned to walk away, but Daryl did follow her, a string of curse words following him. How come he didn't have to play the swear jar game? He'd probably end up owing Lori more money than her, especially at a dollar a pop…Cali was already up to about forty six bucks…and the game had only started yesterday. "So, where you going with the pretty horse?"

"Git bird's eye view of the creek. See if I can' spot that little girl."

"Well, remember to be careful, aright?"

"Why th' fuck do you feel th' need tuh remind me a' that every time I go off on my own?" He rolled his eyes. Cali shrugged.

"My inner babysitter flips a bitch every time you go off on your own. I can just sense all the shit you could possibly get into." Cali shuddered, and Daryl shot her a nasty look.

"Yer a bitch."

"I am being particularly nasty to you today." Cali grinned, but she knocked her shoulder against his arm. She couldn't reach his damn shoulder.

"More like every damn day." He rolled his eyes, but pushed her back. Cali smirked and jogged over to her tent to grab her bat. She readjusted her grip, and then tossed it over her shoulder. Daryl shook his head. "Ya need tuh learn tuh shoot Nia."

"Don't get your bowstring in a knot there, I already told Shane to sign me up for his course." Cali assured the redneck. "Now, I gotta go meet Glenn, so be careful out there, alright?" Cali turned back towards the man and held out her pinky. As per tradition, Daryl rolled his eyes, but wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Back atcha Nia. Be careful out there. Make sure Glenn's packin'." Daryl dropped her hand, and got ready to mount the horse. Cali crossed her arms and stared at him. "Wha'?"

"What the hell? I don't even get a hug?"

"I woul' but I don' wanna see who's next on th' fuckin' Cockblock list." Daryl smirked and waved as he and the horse stalked off. Cali rolled her eyes, and started back towards the house.

All the while thinking who would actually be next on that list.

* * *

Something happened to Glenn. Cali wasn't sure what it was, but by the time they had started their search, he had his head down, and wasn't talking too much. Anyone else might have just chalked it up to a Walker prevention strategy…but Cali knew better. She knew there was something wrong. They were just trudging through the ground, Cali's eyes everywhere, Glenn's on the ground.

"So, I was thinking…" Cali started, her voice sounding foreign in the woods. Glenn looked up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking…that you are way too moody for someone that got laid not even 24 hours ago." Cali shot him a grin, and Glenn tried to fight it, but a laugh slipped out of his throat.

"Yeah, I know…I know."

"So what's wrong then?" Cali smiled, and knocked her shoulder against Glenn. She reached his shoulders at least.

"Nothing."

"Now, don't even bother with that. I know you Glenn. I've slept five feet from you for…shit, how long?"

"Going on five months."

"Five months, dude. We're kind of best friends, and I'm kind of able to read you…so, I mean you might as well tell me."

"I don't want to." Glenn sighed. Cali thought about what to do for a second, and she stared at the leaves in the trees, and listened for footsteps other than hers or Glenn's.

"You know what?"

"What's that?"

"I miss coffee."

"What?" Glenn stopped walking to stare at her, and Cali stopped too.

"Coffee. You know? I miss it. I woke up this morning, and there was honestly nothing I wanted more than to go sit at my table back home, grab my chipped cup and fill it to the brim with coffee and the Peppermint Mocha creamer. Honestly, if I could be granted one wish today, that would've been it." She looked over at Glenn. "I didn't plan on telling anyone that, because it just sounds whiny, and ungrateful. Because honestly, we're decently safe there on Hershel's farm. They've been more than kind. Carl's going to be okay, and the rest of us are in good health. And the icing on that cake is that, to this day, I still haven't had a real close call with a Walker." Cali looked down at her palms. "If anything…I'm my own worst enemy." Glenn stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "And even though, I really should be fucking _ecstatic_ about our situation…I still really want my coffee." She dropped the bat from her shoulders. "It's okay to not be happy with your station, no matter how stupid the reason."

Glenn shook his head. "I forget you're so insightful sometimes. You hide it so well under the grit, and stupidity."

"Ah, fuck yourself. I'm serious." Cali smiled. "So tell me what's wrong."

Glenn started walking again, and Cali followed suit. The Korean sighed. "I went and talked to Maggie."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know! That's the thing. Yesterday, she was totally down for sleeping together…and now? She's kind of being mean."

"Mean? Mean like how?" Cali furrowed her brows. She didn't really believe that the Greene's could do mean. Passive aggressive? Oh totally. But not mean.

"Well…I told Maggie that I still have eleven condoms left." Glenn shook his head. "And she said 'You see eleven condoms…I see eleven minutes of my life I'll never get back.'" He bowed his head and Cali sucked in a breath.

"Well…fuck. That was cold as hell." Cali shook her head. "Shit."

"You owe Lori three dollars."

"Fuck." She rolled her eyes. Glenn snickered. Well, there we go. "So, Maggie usually this bitchy?"

"No? It's not bitchy…not like you…its more distant." Glenn explained, ignoring the pissy look she sent him.

"So…maybe it's more of a…game then."

"Game?"

"Yeah, I mean, end of the world will change everything…except the way girls mind's work. See, you're probably all fucked out right now, not really sure what she's doing. She's probably just playing the game."

"What game?"

"_The_ game." Cali rolled her eyes. "It's been played for years…how have guys not caught on yet? Alright here's how it works. You already fucked, which mean your relationship has to start somewhere completely different than normally. So, where you see that you guys should be closer…she's trying to put some distance. Because hell, you guys did sort of jump right into bed…or should I say pharmacy floor. If anything, she's probably nervous around you now. Not quite sure how she feels at the moment. So here's what you should do. You should keep those eleven condoms, and you should hold onto them…because if I were to be honest…she'll probably come crawling to you."

"Crawling huh?"

"Yeah, if you're into that."

"I don't really think I have time to be 'into' anything. This is the damn end of everything. I don't really have time to be picky."

"We're still human dude! And having preferences is pretty much the only thing separating us from like…dogs or some other shit." Cali snickered. "You have a kink you want to explore, why not do it now? After all, who knows when you might get another chance."

"And what about you huh? What are your kinks?"

"Well…seeing as we've fucked already…you should know…"

"Honestly…I remember very little of that night." Glenn mumbled. "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe, I should just get better before I try this again. She probably thought I was awful."

"No she didn't. Trust me, if I girl doesn't like the way you play…she won't even look at you." Cali shrugged. "We're not what you'd call…logical creatures."

"Not even fucking close." Glenn rolled his eyes, and Cali was about to defend herself when she froze. Glenn stopped walking and stared at her. "What?"

"What's that?" She pointed to the foliage, where there was slight movement. They both froze, one out of fear…that could be a Walker…, and the other out of hope. God, let that be Sophia.

Finally, a bunny hopped on out, stared at Cali and Glenn for a second, then hopped off. The two let out twin sighs of relief. "Fuck that was close."

"Damn it…I was really hoping it was Sophia." Cali frowned, and scanned the trees for anymore movement. Nothing. "And it looks like there won't be any Sophia here either." She jerked her head towards a tree a few feet from where they were. "Red. Isn't that Rick and Shane?"

"Shoot. Yeah, that's them." Glenn shook his head. "I hope they found her."

"I hope somebody finds her." Cali shook her head. "I couldn't be Carol right now. Fuck, I can barely handle being Cali." She rubbed her temple, and turned around. "Let's go back."

"Alright." Glenn followed suit and the two began trekking back towards the farm.

"Hey Glenn…"

"Yeah?"

"You're not bad in the sack."

"…Really?"

"Really."

* * *

"Hello?" Cali ditched her bat at the door of Hershel's farmhouse.

"Hey Cali, we're in the kitchen!" Carol's voice called back to her.

"Big shock." She muttered, and pulled off her shoes before walking into the house. She found Lori and Carol running through the kitchen like madwomen, with Patricia and Beth, Hershel's people. She smiled at the group before she pulled herself up on the counter. "So, what Movement are we setting back today?" She asked, popping a few grapes on the counter in her mouth.

Beth and Maggie looked at each other, then at Carol and Lori. "She uh, she's a history major."

"And she's hard to follow sometimes."

"And she's right here!" Cali reminded the women. Two looked apologetic; the other two rolled their eyes. Guess which ones were which.

"I gotta ask," Beth started from where she was washing vegetables. "You don't really sound like you're from around here."

"I'm not. I'm Wyoming bred." Cali smiled proudly.

"What were you doing out here?"

"Physical Therapy consult." Cali answered, not really sure if this questioning was normal…and it was just her turn, or they actually wanted to know this. "So, you guys are making dinner?"

"Yeah, it's so nice to be cooking in a real kitchen!"

"Oh yes, I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see a potato peeler!" Carol laughed, and Cali decided that feminism had just died completely.

"I'm just happy to be cooking something than squirrel over a fire." Lori tossed out there.

"Hey, that squirrel saved my life." Cali argued, mouth drawn up slightly.

"How so?" Beth asked.

"That's how I met Daryl." Cali stated matter of fact. Lori and Carol looked at each other.

"You know, I don't think we ever heard this story."

"Yeah, you haven't." Cali clarified. "It's uh…it's kind of embarrassing."

"Now I'm desperate to know." Patricia had a small smile on her face. Oh, she was being pushed into this…and it was working.

"I was in a hospital…you know, when everything went down. It was really fun, between those geeks and the bullets…well…I got out, but after that I kind of blacked out. Like seriously blacked out. I don't much remember how…but uh, I kind of got myself stuck in a tree."

"A habit of yours?"

"Shut up Lori." Cali held up her hand. "I'm talking here. Oh yeah, so I spent three days in that tree."

"Three days?" Beth asked, jaw dropping. "How is that even possible?"

"Oh, I'm a terrible insomniac. I just didn't sleep for those three days. So…uh…this is where it gets embarrassing. So I had been running on three days without sleep, and I was just a wee bit delirious. And I was living off airline pretzels, and there was this little squirrel that came up and was splitting rations with me-"

"Partnering with a squirrel?"

"-I said not to judge me, and yes. His name was Dean."

"How come we've never heard of Dean?" Carol asked, massive grin on her face.

"Well…because you all ate him the day I came to camp." Cali answered, tossing another grape in the air and catching it in her mouth. Lori and Carol froze, slack jawed and horrified. Cali grinned massively. Patricia and Beth were smiling too. "I hope he tasted damn delicious, because you ate my best friend."

"Oh! Your best friend?" Lori asked.

"So…that's why you called Daryl 'Best Friend Killer'?"

"Oh hell yeah." Cali nodded. "I was pissed about that for the LONGEST time. And you know, I'm pretty sure he has NO idea why. Asshole." Cali spat.

Lori washed her hands off, went around the corner and came back with a glass jar. "Alright, cough it up. I know you have money."

Cali glared at the woman…and reached for her bag. "What's the damage?"

"You tell me."

Cali glared again…but dropped twenty five dollars into the jar. Carol shook her head. "Cali, that's just sad."

"Hey, don't judge me alright. I'm dealing with this shit-"

"Ha!"

"Damn it!"

"Cali!"

"Fuck! Stop confusing me!" She cried, throwing her hands into the air. Lori just held up the jar again and Cali dropped another three bucks into the jar, eyes narrowed. She was about ready to defend her right to swear when they heard the gunshot.

"Oh God!" Lori cried, dropping the jar.

"Must be a Walker!" Cali added, jumping off the counter and following the rush of women out the door. Her eyes were almost instantly blinded by the setting sun, and she swore.

"Rick!" Lori screamed as they all hauled ass towards the camp. Andrea was at the top of the RV, with Dale hanging off the ladder, but the rest of the group was way out in the field. Cali's heart felt like it was going to implode.

"What is going on out here?" Hershel demanded.

They ran towards where they saw Rick and Shane dragging a body. That was wrong, why the hell would Rick and Shane drag a Walker towards the camp? Unless…it wasn't a Walker. It couldn't be…because Andrea and Dale were running towards it.

_Oh fuck! Oh fuck!_ Cali ran though her mental attendecce list in her head, and was almost moved to tears when she realized that everyone had been at camp…except…

Cali ran then, right past Lori and Carol and she hauled ass as fast as she could. She froze a few feet in front of Shane and Rick, and Daryl's limp body. The men froze and Glenn and T-Dog looked at each other. Cali brought a hand up to her mouth. "Wha-what happened?"

"Daryl-"

"He's uh…"

"I shot Daryl." Andrea answered, more than a little hysterically. "Oh God I shot Daryl, but I didn't mean to! I thought he was a Walker!"

"You shot Daryl?" Cali cried, eyes wide. "What the fuck!"

"I didn't mean to! I thought he was a Walker!"

"What part confused you! The fucking breathing? The fact that he don't smell dead! Or, is it the fucking beating heart!" Cali snarled, getting all up in the woman's face. Andrea stiffened a little.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Yes it was! Who the fuck gave your suicidal ass a gun anyways!"

Andrea smacked Cali right across the face then, and before any of the men could stop it, Cali had tackled that blonde bitch to the ground. Andrea cried out as they hit the ground, and Cali straddled the woman, and slammed her fist right into the other woman's mouth. Blood was flying from Andrea's busted lip, and the cuts that Andrea's teeth left on Cali's hand.

Andrea reached her hand up, and grabbed Cali's knot of hair, and wretched her head back, throwing the younger girl off balance, and on her back. Cali waited for Andrea to try to dive on her before she pulled her knees up to her chest, and fucking sent both feet flying into the blonde woman's chest. She went flying and Cali pulled herself back up, ready to fucking _kill_ that bitch. Andrea got back up and came straight for Cali, throwing a punch to the stomach that sent Cali bending over, which got her a knee to the face. Spitting out blood, Cali grabbed Andrea's leg and threw her back to the ground. "You fucking bitch! How the fuck could you do that!"

She was about ready to pull some old MMA fighting into this, but T-Dog wrapped his arms around Cali's middle, and he refused to let go. Cali thrashed and writhed against his hold, kicking and punching and swearing up a storm so strong, there would be no point in trying to charge her for it. She didn't have the cash to cover it.

"Fuck!" T-Dog spat through gritted teeth. "She ain't exactly easy to hold!"

"Don't fuckin' let her go!" Shane ordered. "Dale, get Andrea out of here." Dale dragged the bleeding blonde woman away from the area, while Lori and Carol ran past them and made a beeline for the Wyoming bred woman.

"California!" Lori demanded. Cali didn't stop squirming. Lori finally grabbed the girl by her ear, and pulled. "California!"

Cali didn't budge, in fact, she only fought harder. Lori knew that look on her face, it was desperation, and Cali was seconds away from drowning in this anger. Lori looked to Carol, who could only shrug. Finally Glenn stalked past the two of them, and grabbed Cali's face in both of his hand. "Nia! Knock that the fuck off!" he growled, and Cali stopped moving, shocked to hear Glenn say that to her.

She finally stopped fighting T-Dog, and he chanced letting her go. She looked like she'd been through one hell of a ringer. There was blood trickling out from her nose, and a possible cut in her mouth from the way she was spitting blood, and blood also dripped from her hand onto the grass. There were cuts from Andrea's teeth, but it also looked like she'd tore the burns on her palms. Her body was shaking with anger still, enough that Glenn could hear her teeth chatter. But the weirdest part was her eyes, Cali's eyes were hard and shiny, tears obviously there, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge them yet. She was doing a pretty decent job of hiding her eyes behind her hair, which was down now, with her rubber band apparently MIA after the fight. It almost made her look a little younger, and a hell of a lot more vulnerable.

"He's gonna be just fine." Lori spoke, and Cali turned to the woman.

"Did he look fucking okay to you! God, I'm going to _kill that bitch_!"

"Cali," Carol's meek voice joined the others. "You have a place right now, and that place is with Daryl. Not acting like this. You're better than this."

"Carol's right." Glenn reminded Cali. She shook her head.

"I can't Glenn…I don't think I can! I can't sit there and wait! I'm not, _Christ_, I'm not fucking wired to work that way. I can't just wait!"

The Korean wasn't listening though. He grabbed her wrist, and threw her towards the house. "You can, and you fucking will. It's what he needs you to do. And if he needs you to sit outside that room, then Goddamn it Cali, that's what you're going to do!" Cali bit her lip, until teeth broke through the skin, and she cried. The tears finally overpowered her will, and they dripped into the grass alongside her blood. Her body was breaking down, the fear plus the adrenaline rush, and the anger, was hitting her full force. Glenn only threw his arm around her, and led her towards the house. Tears running down her face the entire walk there. She finally sniffed and looked up at Glenn.

"Remember, today, when I said all I wanted was coffee?"

"Yeah."

"I fucking take it back. I take it all back." She whimpered as the sobs started back up. Glenn only held her tighter until they could get into the house. Beth and Patricia were already waiting for them.

"You go on ahead and sit her down. I'll clean her up." Patricia looked down at the girl, and saw so much of herself in that broken look and raining eyes. That course man upstairs, that was this crazy squirrel loving girl's Otis. She would do whatever she had to for this California girl.

* * *

Cali didn't have the energy to be ashamed of herself. She was sure that'd come later, but right now, as she sat with her feet curled up on a chair across the hall from Lori, who was holding Sophia's doll, all Cali could really feel was anger and fear. She was still shaking, even after she'd been cleaned up, and popped a Xanax, just to make sure. But she was still shaking, and she knew Lori was there because they wanted to keep an eye on her.

She lifted her head from her knees, and looked over at Lori, who looked back at her. "What is it sweet pea?"

"I…fuck…I don't know." Cali tried to fist away her tears, but moving her hands hurt too much. Lori shook her head and stood up, and Cali half expected her to pull out the swear jar, but instead, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. It was the closest thing she'd had to a mother's hug in a very long time, and she fell right into it. "I'm so fucking scared."

"It'll be alright Cali." Lori whispered. The door opened then, and Rick walked out, looking about as good as Cali felt. Her heart caught in her throat, and for a second there, she was pretty sure it stopped.

"He'll be fine."

Cali took a breath then, and God if felt like the first one she'd take all day. "He seein' people?" She asked, and Rick smiled at her.

"Who said he had a choice?" Cali gave a tiny smile to the officer and she unfolded herself from the chair she'd spent the last three hours in. Lori kissed the crown of her head, and Cali went and opened the door. Hershel gave her a glance, before he returned to bandaging up Daryl.

"I'm not sure you should be here." He told her gently. _There was that passive aggressiveness…_ She thought, but she didn't move.

"I'll trade you." Cali held out her Tylenol bottle. "You can have all the painkillers and the antidepressants too, if you want. But I kind of need the sleeping pills. And the anti-anxiety pills might be useful too." Hershel looked at the bottle then up at the girl.

"You might just be right." He nodded, and accepted the bottle. "I'll separate them for you, then uh, give them back."

"Thanks." Cali gave a small smile. Hershel nodded, then moved past her, and out the door. Cali stood there for a second, just looking at her feet. Finally, she took a deep breath. "So, those sleeves didn't last too long huh."

Daryl, who was shirtless again, gave her a small smirk. "Ya still find time tuh be a bitch. Tha's impressive Nia."

Cali tried to give him a grin, she tried really fucking hard, but she could feel the tears leaking out of her eyes. The quivering chin followed close behind. He looked fucking beat to shit, with a bandage wrapped around his head, and another on his side. Not to mention the plain defeated look on the man's face. It was too much for Cali and she started crying again.

Daryl reached out and grabbed her wrist, then pulled her towards him, and she fell onto the bed next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and she curled into his body and cried. He gave a sigh. "I ain't dead Nia."

"That's not the point! That's fucking great, really, you honestly have no idea how happy I am to fucking lay here and hear your heartbeat. But that's not the point." She was shaking again. "I…you…we…" The words were choking in her throat. "Fuck!" Daryl just ran his thumb up and down her arm.

"Yer gonn' hav' tuh be a lil' more specific fer me." He murmured. Cali shook her head.

"I don't know how to do this!" She explained, and ran her teeth over the cut on her lip. "I don't know how to put this to words."

"Yeah?" He was lookin' down at the woman curled in his arms, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yeah, because if I say it, it just won't be enough. It won't cover what I need to say, and I need you to know this, because _God_, we live in this world, and this world doesn't give us second chances. I almost feel like saying anything would ruin it, but I don't want to not get it out, because then…what if something like this happens again?" Her eyes filled up again, and Daryl moved his thumb from her arm to her face, and he wiped them away.

"It won' happen again."

"You can't know that."

"I can promise."

"Like you promised this morning?" She sniffed. "You're not indestructible, and I think everyone forgets that. You're fucking human too! And look what happens when we forget." She sniffed. "But I'm scared to say it, because once it's out, it's fucking permanent. But so is dying! God this isn't fair!"

"We gotta pick th' lesser evil here." He mumbled. Cali met his eyes, and he gave her the smallest smile.

"You get it then?"

"Yah."

"Can you say it either?"

"Nah."

Cali bit her lip, and then grabbed his hand. He wrapped his fingers around her hand, but hers hurt too bad to reciprocate the action. "Do you want to?"

"Wish I knew how." He answered. She nodded, God, she understood that feeling. She wanted to be able to say it, but the words she had, well, they weren't _enough_. They came close, but they just weren't enough to give exactly what she needed to say. This was new to her. Cali had always been good with words. Now? She wasn't really sure that she could ever find the words to say what she needed to say.

But she had to try, even if it wasn't enough, it was better than nothing. It was better than hang in the air between them, the slightest glimmer of what could possibly be. That moment in a look, or their fingers meeting, or making out against an RV. It was there, they just both chose to ignore it. But she couldn't anymore, because now, Daryl had been knocked down to human standards again. It was just wrong.

"I…I'm fucking terrified right now." She admitted. "Which is stupid, because you're right here. I can feel you, and see you. You're right fucking here. But I'm still scared."

"Ya can' be." He slightly shook his head. "Ya can' be scared of this place. This is life Nia."

"I can't do this alone." She shook her head. "And don't tell me I wouldn't be. Because you know that's not true. I love those people out there, and they love me. They'd take care of me, but it wouldn't be the same. They don't _know_ me. They're my family…but…" She took a deep breath. "I don't need them. But…I need you. I need you to be here Daryl. I would live, and I would survive, but I wouldn't be happy." The tears were back, and she couldn't believe she was still crying. "I need you here."

"Ya gotta be okay wit' this." Daryl sighed. "Ya gotta be stronger Nia."

"I can't be!"

"Ya hav' tuh be!" His voice was getting harder. "Who knows wha' else is going tuh happen out there. I need tuh know tha' you'll be able to walk away from it! Everything."

"I'm fucking human Daryl! I can't do that!"

"If I hav' tuh do it, then ya can to!" He was angry now. "If I hav' tuh get up ever'day and live like this, then you need to! Ya gotta be with th' rest of us here Nia. Ya gotta be here with me."

"You're asking me to be a monster."

Daryl grabbed her arm, and pulled her closer to him. "I'm asking ya to be strong Nia, because if I fuckin' go, I can't go knowin' ya ain't able to take care of yerself! Yer too damn important tuh waste away." His eyes were on hers, and she couldn't shake that deer in headlights feeling. "Yer too damn important tuh me for ya tuh fuckin' give up."

"If you don't want me to give up, then don't fucking die on me."

"Ya gotta be strong enough fer tha' Nia."

"And you gotta be strong enough to live." She spat back. "You fucking shared a smoke with death today, but you don't belong to him, so don't you dare sit there and try to get me to help you write your eulogy. You're here Daryl, you're here, and you're going to be okay. I don't know what the fuck happened to you today, but I know for a fucking fact that whatever's fucking with your head isn't real. So wake the fuck up right now, and see what is. I'm real, and the people in this house, we're real. We're your family Dixon, and we fucking love you!" Her anger was back, hot and comforting. "So if you don't clear your head here, I'm going to lump you into the same category as the dumbass that shot you! You have to be strong too Daryl." Her eyes were hard again, hard from determination, and they shone with tears. "If you're going to make me fall for you, the least you could fucking do was try to keep your damn will to live." She spat. Daryl looked at her, then he smirked.

The hand on her arm tilted her up, and she leaned up and kissed Daryl. He tasted like blood, dirt, pain and tears. She pulled apart, and pressed her forehead to his. He wound his hand into her loose hair, and barely whispered. "I lov' ya too, Nia."

* * *

It was two hours later when she finally woke up, and it was Carol's voice she woke up to. "I know. You're every bit as good as them. Every bit." Then Carol left, and Daryl let out a breath. A smile stretched over Cali's face, and he eyed her.

"Whut?"

"I think she's got a crush on you."

"Yah right." He rolled his eyes, and flipped her off. She tried to do the same, but instead felt fire race thorough her hands.

"Ow. Fuck." She hissed, and looked down at the stained bandages.

"Oh yeah, th' fuck happen tuh ya?" He asked. "When I left ya, you was fine."

"I could say the same thing about you." She shot back, but then looked away. "I tore open the rope burn on my palms."

"Fuckin' serious? How'd ya manage that?"

"…Fighting…"

"Ya git intuh a bitch fight wit' th' chink? Wha' happened?"

"No…I uh, kinda knocked a few of Andrea's teeth out." Cali mumbled. Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Cali nodded.

"Well Goddamnit Nia, have ya fuckin' learned nothing? Tha' bitch can't aim, how the fuck did she land a hit on ya?"

"What?"

"Ya think ya'd picked somthin' up by now." He grumbled. Cali glared at him.

"Fine, next time you get shot, don't expect me to care."

"Don't lie tuh me Nia, ya were scared shitless huh?" He gave her a cocky grin. "Enough tuh go fight a bitch nearly twice yer size."

"…Stop enjoying this."

"Not likely."

* * *

**Hmmm….I dunno….was that too OOC for Daryl? I feel as though it might be? Thoughts?**

**Thank yous!:**

**Readergirl66: Ha, I'm glad you liked it xD Awesome has to be my favorite word!**

**Nelle07: I really hope this lived up to what you expected xD everyone seemed to want Cali to throw a fit, so that's what she did! And we'll save the ravishing for next chapter ;)**

**Viktorskrumpet: Awh! I feel so loved after reading your review! And I know, the swear jar is immensely popular xD people just love Lori! And yes! Glenn got to dust off his balls from LFF :D and you know what, their canned ham looked so gross! I wouldn't eat it DX. And it wasn't so much that Carol was into cockblocking, so much as everyone in camp is pretty much taking their turn cockblocking these two xD**

**Take Life's Chances: They really are a bitch…damn. And I'm glad you thought that was funny, because that would so be my life xD and Cali's got cash, and hopefully Lori will be able to rope the entire camp into the Swear Jar game *Evil Laugh***

**Of course Cali was jealous, they were going on the same dry spell, and then Glenn gets laid first? Son of a bitch! And I know! Daryl totally is a sweetheart!**

**Summerlover1: My list worries me…if they're taking my shit, I want some credit! I only spent an entire summer working on sixteen chapters…no big.**

**So, seeing as they got those pesky feeling out of the way…dirty outdoor sex time? Lol**

**Katwigg90: I'm glad you liked it, it was a personal favorite myself xD**

**xNeonxSharpiesx: If they're taking my stuff, then I want them to at least steal Cali! That would make my entire LIFE. Shane's a good guy I think, he's seriously concerned about the overall wellness of the group!**

**Ah Andrea…I do believe I made my feeling on her quite clear in this chapter xD and here's the chapter, since you couldn't wait an all x)**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: Cali got the sex talk, because Cali needed the sex talk xD And thank you! She appreciates your compliment ;)**

**Willow The Collie: Oh, it's so obvious! It kind of kills me on the inside! Please just add Cali now!**

**I agree with you. ANDREA YOU BITCH!**

**Although, I admit I laughed my ass off at the whole "We've all wanted to shoot Daryl" bit xD and I hope you enjoyed your waterlogged Walker. **

**And you'd better start thanking Andrea ;)**

**Lucy Freebird: Carol's just so innocent xD it's so fun. And I hope you enjoyed! ;D**

**Willow: Holy shit Willow, your review had me in fucking stitches. Although I feel I should apologize. If I had known AMC was creeping on my shit, I never would've wrote that Dead!Daryl fic! I didn't think I was hurting him! Little did I know right?**

**I did die when they threw the Asian down the well. Poor Glenn, it's always fucking Glenn. **

**So, how much money did you cough over to that jar? xD**

**And are you kidding? I LOVED that T-Dog was giving the orders. It was brilliant. **

**As for Glenn, of course she knew. She's seen his 'just had sex face' firsthand!**

**Hahaha I'm glad you think that could work! Because I really wasn't sure about that line!**

**Nekuranekomegami: Awh thank you xD I feel beastly sometimes.**

**Pinklittlewitch: My average chapter is about 4,000 words. This one is over 7,000. I do hope that was long enough for you master xD and Cali hardly makes sense in context, I can't imagine how weird she must sound out of context. And Holy shit yes, you should tell NR to call his fans little zombies…that'd be fucking amazing. We could be twinsies! :D and I hope you scream xD I really hope you do!**

**Siese: I'm glad yu're digging it, and I hope Cali handled that situation to your liking!**

**: Did you enjoy this fluff? xD because I nearly suffocated myself dealing with it.**

**Crobsxx: I think you're right…but one more chapter won't kill them xD**

**Anea The Morwinyon: I adore the shizz out of your review! Thank you!**

**Alright my Little Zombies, I'm very curious to hear what you have to say for this chapter! Please review!**

**-Eris**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's note: Awh, I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! But I'm not sure what you liked more! Was it the Andrea beatdown? Or Daryl and Cali FINALLY owing up to their feelings? :D**

**And as for episode six: HAHAHAHHHAHHAHAHAHHA I FUCKING CALLED ANDREA/SHANE! …although…I think Shane could do better. Much…much better. **

**But, I'm rambling. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, and there will be violence, and swearing, and pretty much Cali being the best bitch she can be!**

Chapter 22: Face To Face, With That Devil You've Been Dreadin'

"_Fuck!_" Daryl hissed as he took another step closer to the cot in his tent. Christ on a fuckin' crutch. His side hurt like a bitch, and every time he moved, it felt like he was getting stepped on repeatedly by some bitch's fuckin' high heels. Over, and over, and fuckin' over again.

Nia, who was sittin' cross legged on the floor, a shit ton of string in her lap, only glanced up. "You wanna know something funny?"

"Whut?" He hissed through gritted teeth, as he got closer to his cot. So fucking close!

"I told you that you weren't ready to move, and that it would hurt more than it would help, and that it probably would just honestly piss you off, because you can't push your body this time." She looked back up at him, and gave her best shit eating grin. "And look at that, I was right. Again."

"Now ain' really th' time fer this shit." He snarled at the girl, who shrugged and went back to manipulating the string in her hands to create a bracelet.

"I know it's not. But there are so few times I'm right, I'd just like to rub it in your face."

"Careful Nia," Daryl sighed as he finally reached the fuckin' promise land, and feel right back on it. Slow and steady be damned. "Tha' blonde bitch owes me big now, and if yer too much 'a smart ass, I'll sic her ass on yers."

"Please. I fucking won that fight." Nia smirked over at Daryl, but unconsciously ran her tongue over the cut in her lip that was now there. Her nose hadn't been broken, and aside from her hands, that was really the only thing Andrea had managed to hurt. "She looked a lot worse than I did when they pulled me off."

He hadn't seen the blonde bitch yet.

"I'm sure kid." He sighed, and closed his eyes. It was still early in the morning. He'd put it around seven or so, and he'd pretty much bailed on the room with the bed first chance he got. Reminded him too much of the way things were before. And he'd long since learned that the best way to deal with pain, was to keep your mind on something else, and ignoring the physical pain for emotional pain was just going to fuck him up more. So, against Nia's fuckin' _constant_ bitchin', he'd dragged his ass back to the tent, her chewing him out the entire time.

Which lead them here, him trying to breathe through the pain, and Nia winding the string around. He eyed the way her hands shook slightly when she was working on a not, and the slight look of pain on her face. "Ya really fucked up yer hands?"

"Kind of feels like it. What a bitch. My wrist hadn't acted up for a long while, not since before the CDC, but after Walker Go Fish, I think I tweaked it out again." She pulled her left hand from the string, and held it up. It was vibrating almost, and looked stiffer than the other. "And now, it hurts like a bitch."

"Figures. It's always one thin' after another wit' ya." Daryl groaned and closed his eyes, but he could still feel her glaring at him. But that was fuckin' expected. What he hadn't fuckin' expected was to hear her laugh. He opened one eye and glanced over. "Whut?"

"There's something wrong with you too." She answered in sing song, eyes never leaving the string in her hands.

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes."

"An' wha' makes you think that?"

"You talk in your sleep. And I don't sleep."

Daryl felt his veins go icy. "Whu' the fuck did you hear?"

"Nothing too exciting. Just that you have some major self-hating issues there…Daryleena."

"Shut up Nia."

"I really don't think I should…see, if there's something bothering you…I think you should talk about it. Or at least try. I mean, you're only human, and you must be scared of something…or someone…"

"Nia, please, jus' shut up."

"You're going to have to face that demon one day." She spoke softly, eyes never leaving the string. She was giving him privacy right now, she wasn't going to look at him. He chewed on his lip.

"I ain't ready yet."

"You don't have to be. But you do need to hash this out at some point." Her fingers stopped moving through the string. "And if your thoughts are anything like what you mumble in you sleep, then I'd rather you do it sooner. You can't live with that monster in your head Daryl, it'll eat you alive."

* * *

She really shouldn't have felt so smug, pulling a man's physiological issues into a petty argument like that, but she had to admit, he handled it like a champ. Instead of yelling, like she'd expected, he'd just sort of lay there, and stared at her. He was probably trying to recall exactly what he'd said. Finally, he looked back up towards the top of the tent.

"Don' fuckin' spread tha' around. People around here talk too much as is. I don' need my name in it as well."

"Don't you worry." She assured him. "The last thing I'd do is spread around your gossip. Besides, something tells me there's a bigger gossip to be had."

"Is tha' right?"

"Oh hell yeah. In fact, why you're in bed today, open up your ears. You'll be surprised at what you hear kid. I guarantee it." She gave him a smirk, and felt the cut on her lip tug the rest of her skin. God, that damn angst ridden woman. Cali was probably going to end up finishing that fight sooner or later, but it'd have to fucking wait until she got her hands all better. It hurt to fucking do anything with them. And for that, Andrea would pay.

Soon.

"Hey. Nia, git yer head out of yer homicidal plans an' listen."

"Sorry what?" She asked, head popping back up. Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Ya get hurt too damn much tuh be 'unaware' Nia."

"Did you need something, or are you just goin' to bitch some more?"

"Ya little fuckin' bitch…"

"You're a fantastic sweet talker. Why, I'm putty in your fucking hands now." Cali intoned, just moving through the knots. She'd finally had some time to get back to her habit of bracelets, and she'd owed Glenn one for a long while.

"I kind'a wanna kill you…"

"Go for it, but I think it'd be useless…you point that crossbow at me, and my ass will magically be up a tree."

"Against all fuckin' odds."

"Hey, what can I say? I enjoy being alive."

"Nah, ya fuckin' enjoy flirtin' with death, that's what you enjoy. Fuck, when I found ya in tha' tree…ya were fuckin' feeding pretzels to a squirrel…"

"Hey! It made sense at the time! And Dean wasn't just a squirrel. He was my best friend!"

"Best friend?"

"Yeah, and you fucking killed him!"

"Sorry I was single fuckin' handedly feeding that damn camp!"

"Me too! You're a damn Best Friend Killer!"

"Oh Christ on a mother fucking crutch! Are ya seriously back on tha' shit?"

Cali chewed on her answer for a second. "No…hell, I think Andrea might've stolen that nickname from you. She did fuckin' try to kill you."

"At least I don't have to deal with tha' shit anymore." He grumbled. Cali only smirked.

"I could've been so much worse to you…"

"An' I could've left ya in th' fuckin' tree." He shot back. "Shouldda, Couldda, Wouldda."

"Hey…don't mock the awesome power of the trees. They're the fucking life givers now." Cali told him seriously. He stared at her for a minute before rolling his eyes.

"Christ, yer gonn' fuckin' overheat again ain't ya? No fuckin' rubber band?"

Cali ran her fingers through her hair. She fucking hated that it was down, and everything did feel hotter today. "Oh, yeah. I lost it in the field."

"Great. Yer gonn' be passed out by noon."

"Your lack of faith in me is almost depressing."

"I know ya too well tuh have faith in ya." He simply responded, closing his eyes again. "Ya don't change kid, that's why."

Cali narrowed her eyes, and surveyed the bottom of the tent. She moved shit around until she finally found her prize. It was a thick, traditional rubber band. Not like something she'd ever put in her hair, but it looked like it might've held a paper together at one point.

Fucking perfect.

She pulled it back over her thumb, took aim, and let it fly. It hit Daryl right in the fucking eye. The man flew up, hand over his eye, then his let out a stream of curses that would make even the most hardened Irishman raise an eyebrow. Cali only smirked as he turned on her. "What the fuck was that?"

"I learned to aim." She grinned at him, and he felt like dropping his jaw.

"Ya little bitch…"

"Psh, you fuckin' love it." She winked, and got a rubber band to the forehead before she could even react to it. "Ow!"

"After aim, comes reloadin'." He smirked. "I'm jus' teachin' ya life lessons here."

"God, leave that to Shane would you? He's probably not going to launch rubber bands at my face."

"Nah, but hey, at least you'll fuckin' remember my lessons." Daryl shrugged, and started scratching at his side. Cali rolled her eyes, and pulled herself up, and grabbed one of his arrows. She stalked over to him, and used the feathered end to smack his forehead. "Awh! Wha' the fuck?"

"Don't scratch! You tear that open, and Hershel will get pissed off!"

"Shit!" He pulled the arrow from her hands. "Use yer goddamn words!"

"Says the redneck who communicates through eye rolls and grunts!"

"Better than soundin' like a fuckin' pothead half the time!"

"Hey…well…I…"

"Party school?" Daryl finished for her, a massive smirk on his face. Cali just rolled her eyes.

"You're extra sassy today."

"Painkillers are doin' wonders."

"Maybe you just need a joint." Cali countered. "We still have that bag."

"Yeah…maybe." Daryl smirked, and rolled his eyes. "Yer such a fuckin'idiot."

"Says the guy who manages to fall down a cliff…twice."

"Ya know wha'-" Daryl started, but then looked behind Cali. She heard the footsteps, and tossed a glance behind her. Oh good, it was fucking Andrea…Best Friend Killer.

"Hey." She approached the two. Daryl nodded, but Cali just went back to her string at sat down. She didn't trust her filterless, angry mind around this woman right now…and she really didn't want to get caught smirking at Andrea's cuts, bruises, and swollen jaw. Cali had been raised with boys, she knew how to throw a punch.

It was dodging them that was difficult for her.

"This is not that great..." Andrea started, handing Daryl a paperback book. He grabbed, it, and flipped through the pages. Cali chanced a glance up. The Case of the Missing Man, looked back at her. Huh, she'd never heard of that one…although, she was pretty sure it was a really old movie.

"Whut? No pictures?" Daryl asked, looking up from the book. Cali dug her teeth into her lip to keep from talking.

"I am so sorry, I feel like shit." Andrea sighed.

"Yeah, ya an' me both."

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but, if there's anything I can do…"

"You were tryin' to protect the crew. We're good."

_What the fuckin' hellfire, mother fuckin' asswhipin' son of a fuckin' bitch bastard?_ Cali's teeth unhinged from her lip, and dropped four feet to the ground.

Andrea only smiled, and started heading out. "But hey," Daryl called back at her. "Ya shoot me again…ya best prey I'm dead."

Cali waited until Andrea was gone, before turning on Daryl. "What in the hottest fucking part of hell was that fuckin' pile of shit?"

"That'll be four dollars Cali." Lori informed as she walked past the entrance of the tent.

"Ya gotta be, no wait, no distracting." Cali turned back to Daryl. "What? You let her off that easy? Are you kidding me?"

"Whut?"

"Are you serious? I sleep with Glenn once, drunkenly, before we were ever-" Cali gestured between the two of them "-and I get fuckin' snarky comments out the ass, I get mocked, and I get massively chewed out and have to deal with your passive aggressive bullshit…but Andrea fucking _shoots you in the head_ and she doesn't even get a fuckin' smack on the wrist!"

"Yup."

"Mother…fucker…" She sat down, jaw on the ground once again. Daryl started shaking, and it took Cali a minute to realize that he was laughing. "_What_?" She spat at him.

"Christ Nia, yer so fuckin'…"

"Oh no, please continue, I'd love to hear what you have to say."

Daryl motioned for her to come over, and he fucked up her hair when she got close enough. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he only smirked again. "I knew ya could handle my shit. Tha's why."

"What?"

"I chewed out that bitch, she'd would've started cryin'. I ain't in th' mood to deal with tha'. You though, hell Nia, I could probably punch ya in the fuckin' face, and ya'd just spit out the blood, and ask if that was all I got."

"So, you packed on the shit…because you could?"

"Yup."

"Asshole."

"Whore."

She shook her head. "Why do I deal with your shit?"

"'S my devilish good looks and fuckin' god like body."

"Or it's the pity."

"Fuckin' cold bitch."

"I know. Frigid. That's what keeps me from overheating out here." Cali grinned, and leaned over and pressed her lips against Daryl's. "So, I have to go to the shooting thing…you gonna be okay here?"

"I'll be fine. Christ knows you need to learn how to shoot a gun." Daryl rolled his eyes. Cali took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she needed to be Zen…calm…collected.

_Fuck that._

She gave him a brilliant smile, than brought her open palm down on his side.

"OH FUCK!"

"SHIT!" They both cried out in pain. Daryl curled into himself slightly, and Cali brought her hand to her chest.

"You fuckin' bitch!"

"Me? Christ that hurt like hell!" she groaned through clenched teeth. "Fuck."

"God, I hate ya."

Cali pulled herself off the ground and gave him a pained smile. "I love you too."

* * *

Cali listened halfheartedly to Shane try to explain how to own and operate a gun. Honestly, Cali knew most of this…but she'd just never been one to go out and shoot. She knew how, and her aim wasn't bad but she just didn't really like guns. Although, she supposed that it was a good thing to have down.

What she didn't get however was why all of a sudden it was a good idea to go popping off their limited ammo into cans. She wasn't exactly 'gun savvy' but she did know that ammo didn't grow on trees. So, why they hell were they wasting so many rounds? And wasn't noise the big thing that attracted Walkers? So, weren't they painting a massive target on themselves? Hershel's farm was decently safe…sure, but it wasn't a goddamned prison. There were no electric fences or anything, so basically, they were fucking themselves over.

Ladies and gentlemen, her group. She predicted a massive cluster fuck headed their way.

"Alrigh', everybody ready?" Shane asked. The first group grabbed their guns, and nodded. "Alrigh', go."

Cali stood next to Lori, and watched Carl shoot. The kid was pretty good, a lot like his daddy. Lori looked like a bundle of nerves though. She kept chomping down on her lip. "Alright, baby, why don't we let Cali try?"

"Alright," Carl handed her the gun, and smirked. "try not to hurt yourself."

"Or anybody else." Rick added, walking up. Cali gave him her best smile.

"Why? Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't need to be popping off any rounds at Andrea."

"Why not? Apparently we're allowed to shoot each other and not be punished for it." Cali smiled sweetly before she cocked the gun. Rick tried really hard not to smile.

"Just show me what you got California."

Cali lined herself up, just like they had taught her to, then she let Rick come up behind her and make any tweaking to her stance that she needed. Finally, it was just her and the bottle. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

The bottle went flying, and the gun dropped from Cali's hand. "Awh! Fu-ugde, shi-pper with a beaver dam full of bit-ty creatures!" She politely swore as the kick from the gun caused an immense pain to cover her palms, and shoot up her left wrist. "FUNKY MONKEY!"

"You alright?" Rick asked. Cali looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I'm dancing on rainbows right now."

"What happened?" Shane asked, worried look on his face. Rick shrugged.

"She took her shot, then she was doubled over."

"It was the kick." Cali answered the two's men conversation. They had that annoying habit of talking like no one else was there. "My wrist has been screwed up for years. Didn't know that it wouldn't take the kick well."

"Damn it." Shane swore under his breath and grabbed Cali's arm.

"That's a buck in the swear jar." Carl informed Shane.

"Are you serious?"

"Welcome to my world." Cali muttered as Shane pressed his fingers around her wrist. He finally hit that one knot of tendons and nerves and she hissed and wretched her hand away from his. She ran a hand over his shaved head.

"That ain't good."

"Maybe Hershel could fix it?" Lori asked.

"No, it's not something that 'gets fixed'." Cali explained. "It's a treatment needed thing. Hell, the only reason I was in Atlanta in the first place was to get this thing fixed."

"So, guns aren't your thing?" Shane asked. Cali shrugged.

"Looks like I can get one shot in." Cali looked at the broken bottle on the ground. "Guess I'll just have to not waste it."

"That a girl." Shane nodded. Cali only gave a smile, and picked the gun off the ground, and handed it over to Carl, and went to stand next to Lori once more. Lori tossed her arm around the girl.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll just need to keep an eye on it. It might lock up." She explained. "But it's not too bad."

"I mean about the shooting thing."

"Oh, yeah. The way I see it, if I'm surrounded by Walkers, the baseball bat is just as good as a gun. There's a limited amount of bullets, and at least with a bat, I'll have a decent shot." Cali sighed. Lori gave her a squeeze.

"We'll be okay though."

"We'll do what we can." Cali argued, clenching and relaxing her left fist.

"We'll do what we can." Lori agreed.

* * *

Cali hopped off the back of the truck, all kinds of angry before she stalked past Glenn. He grabbed her shoulder. "Whoa girl, what happened to you?"

"Fuckin' fourwheelers." Cali grumbled, and then she caught sight of Glenn. "Shit hon, what happened to you?"

"God, one hell of a day." He frowned, and pulled off his baseball cap, and ran a hand through his hair. Cali threw her arm around his shoulder.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"You first."

"My little handicap is preventing me from getting more than one round off."

"Man, are you serious?"

"Completely. Looks like I'll be lugging that Aluminum Monster with me everywhere now. I might need that shot for myself someday." Cali shuddered. "Your turn."

Glenn frowned, then shrugged. He'd already told, why not? "Well, Lori's pregnant."

"Fuck."

"And…"

"Shit, there's an 'and' now?"

"…And there's Walkers hidden up in the barn." Glenn froze, awaiting a freak out. Instead, Cali just got a few more grass stains on her jaw.

"Serious?"

"Serious."

"Shit…" Cali pulled her hair into her knot, but then let it fall when she remembered she didn't have a band. "Shit…and I take it the Greene's are aware of this?"

"Oh yeah."

"Alright…then…we do nothing." Cali decided. "Their land…their rules. No matter how creepy those rules are." Cali rubbed her face, and sighed. "Anything else I miss?"

"Uh…I'm going back into town. Need anything?" He asked. Cali shook her head. "No hon. Just make sure you come back, alright?" She smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes. "When you get back, we're having us a sleepover, alright? And we're going to hash out everything. Deal?"

"Deal."

"And you're coming back right?"

"Always." He tossed over his shoulder as he walked away. Cali felt almost laden down by stress, and she decided she was going to get her string from Daryl's tent, go back to hers, and close her eyes and pretend she was back in Wyoming. She didn't want the drama. Not today.

She stalked up to Daryl's tent, and saw the man sleeping on his cot, book covering his face. Cali rolled her eyes and tip toed in, careful not to wake the hunter. She finally reached her string, and she bent down to pick it up, and she felt something snap against her ass. She jumped, and turned around, to find a smirking Dixon. "Ow." She laughed, Daryl smirked.

"Big enough target."

"You're such a dick."

"I know Nia. I know." He brought his hands behind his head. "So, how'd shootin' go?"

"Oh, it pretty much sucked." Cali shook her head. Daryl's smirk disappeared.

"Ya didn't kill th' Blonde Bitch, didja?"

"…No…no I didn't. And I'm kind of hurt that everyone was expecting me to." She sighed and walked over to Daryl's cot and motioned for him to move over. He shot her a glare, but he did what she asked. She flopped down next to him and groaned. "I can't shoot."

"Yer aim suck?"

"My aim was fine. It's my arm that's the problem."

"More words Nia."

"Alright, remember how way back when, you asked me what I needed physical therapy for?"

"Fuck…yeah, I think so."

"Alright, well, it's because I shattered my left wrist in a four wheeler accident. And it's been fucked up ever since, and seeing how it hasn't been adjusted since the end of the world, plus the rope thing, and the fist fight…well…let's just say that the kickback from the gun hurt like fucking hell." She shook her head. "I got one shot in me, and that's about it."

"Christ Nia…" Daryl pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. "Ya just fuckin' tryin' to make it harder on yourself or what?"

"Trust me, I'm not doing this to myself."

"Ain't ya?"

"No…I blame fuckin' Murphy's Law. That Murphy fucker invented bad luck. It's his damn fault."

"Ya keep fuckin' tellin' yerself that Nia."

"You know, that's a dollar in the swear jar."

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?"

"That's two. Welcome to my nightmare Dixon."

* * *

**So, this chapter sucked. But hey, that episode pretty much sucked…and I feel bad. If I had remembered guns had kick…I probably wouldn't have beat on Cali so bad!**

**Oh, and question, do you guys wanna see Cali and Glenn get high? Or would you rather see a Camp Clueless thanksgiving. Your choice! Let me know in a review!**

**Thank yous!:**

**Nelle07: I do believe this is the longest response I've ever gotten from you xD and was it a laughing so hard you cried thing? Or was it a crying because I like to play with people's heartstrings thing?x) and I thought it was time to bring how they met back into the picture! I thought it would be nice xD**

**I'm waiting to catch Andrea alone before she and Cali have their…final ending to this situation. And although what Dale said wasn't very nice…I thought it was hilarious xD I know…I know. And I'm glad you liked Patricia's part! I don't know why but I really like her Character! Thanks for the awesome review!**

**And this is better than my facebook wall xD**

**Leerun: I know she was a bitch, and I figured she needed the shit kicked out of her…and since I can't do it…Cali had to!**

**Musicforsanity: Okay good :D I was worried about that!**

**Summerlover1: I hope you enjoyed it, because I don't know if that will ever happen again xDand it was about time they admitted it! I mean seriously they weren't fooling anyone! And thanks xD I figured after that hellish roller coaster, everyone could use a laugh!**

**Siese: Thank you! I figured that after that fucking stunt…everyone would want…hell…expect Cali to put a boot in Andrea's ass. I mean seriously, if I was watching Camp Clueless, and I saw that the men had frozen, I would have gone ahead and assumed that it was probably not a Walker. And I should put the gun down. And yes, those two finally admitting it was a long time coming! Glad you enjoyed it!**

**Meandu91: Yeah, people seem to really dig the whole Nia thing :D Glad you liked it!**

**Lucy Freebird: I know! Each passing episode, I just feel more and more sorry for Glenn! I like Maggie and all, but she has got to stop confusing my Porno Pizza Boy! And you are not the only one that's noticed! I'm freaking loving it :D and I did a girly squeal when I was writing it xD no worries, now, all I need to do now is find them some time to finally fuck!**

**Momo: Thanks hon! I'm so glad :D**

**KitKat83: Honestly, I would love nothing more than to have Cali on the TV! She's evolved into something amazing, and I want her out there! And no worries, Cali would totally girl crush back xD and seriously! Andrea didn't even get into trouble? What the fuck? And I love reading reviews and hearing that not long after people watched a scene, they started wondering what Cali was going to do! Honestly it just makes my heart flip out! Thanks Kat!**

**Night-Weaver369: They do tend to have some rather intense moments, but that conversation between the two of them was the hardest I've ever had to write.**

**Doll-Fin-Chick: Episode five was awesome, I freakin' loved seeing Merle again! I honestly miss the Pride of Atlanta! And yeah, Glenn and Daryl are always the ones getting screwed over! It's not that fair!**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: And knocked Andrea around hard xD I'm glad you like the guitar scene! I wasn't sure how that was going to go over! And I took your advice! Daryl's now part of the swear jar game! :D Lori is going to be rich as hell!**

**SaraLostInes: Oh, honey, believe me, I was too. She deserved to be punished! And if Rick wasn't going to do anything, then Cali sure as fuck would!**

**And that was my favorite line from the chapter xD Glad you liked it too!**

**Nekuranekomegami: Boy you're S/N's a mouthful. We need to get you a nickname lol. And I'm glad he seemed pretty in character! And thank you :D I'm glad you enjoy it!**

**CayChaotic: Everyone seemed to enjoy Andrea getting her ass beaten xD and your little sister needs to seriously reevaluate her life…I mean like seriously. And I really am glad Daryl wasn't too OOC, because that conversation between the two of them was the hardest one I've ever had to write. It was damn near impossible! So I'm glad it came out okay :D**

**White Wolf Writer05: You're welcome xD Andrea deserved it…totally. I'm glad you love Cali and Daryl! Because so long as Daryl doesn't have a romantic interest in the show, he's so Cali's property ;)**

**xNeonxSharpiesx: Awh Neon xD Worship's a strong word now! And I'm glad you liked that xD because that's so how I would react to a swear jar. Ever since I've started writing this story…my swearing has multiplied by the thousands…damn it Cali!**

**Ahhh…yes. The bitch fight. Everybody's loving the bitch fight. And she'd had that smack down coming! Long before she tried to shoot Daryl. I've been wanting to find an excuse to have Cali beat her ass since 2x01! No lie! **

**And yes! Dean! God I missed Dean! That's why I added him in there xD and it was surprisingly nostalgic for a lot of my readers XD**

**And famous? Lol, I wouldn't say this fic is famous…but thank you xD**

**Willow The Collie: You know, I think that she pretty much ruined her chances right there xD I wouldn't wanna hook up with someone who tried to kill me. Just saying xD**

**And yes! There was a lot of love for this fight! **

**And I totally understand xD I love my laptop sooooo much!**

**And yes! Glenn needs to dust off those balls and use them more! And I so enjoyed his and Cali's little sing along! It made my heart smile xD **

**Maggie needs to figure out what she wants! Like seriously!**

**And here's your chapter hon! Hope you like it!**

**Alina Maxwell: Thanks so much! And here you go! Lol enjoy!**

**ViktorsKrumpet: I'm glad I'm living up to your expectations Vicky! And poor Cali? Ever since I've started writing this fic, my swearing has nearly tripled. Cali is a terrible influence. Just terrible. And I'm glad you like the comebacks too, I'm glad they pay off, because most of them I come up with while I'm drafting a chapter…and that usually means I'm arguing with myself xD**

**And Glenn just wants to get laid too! He's only human! And Cali can respect that. Hell, I do believe it's her turn!**

**Oh hell yeah Cali dropped a beat down on Andrea! Bitch shot her man in the head! No fucking way she was going to get away with that. And she needed to be punished somehow! Rick and Shane didn't do shit!**

**Oh I'm so glad their post shooting conversation worked out! I really struggled with that dialogue because damn it all, they had never been in a situation like that, and it was like being this done with a sculpture, and then having someone drop a shit ton of clay right next to it and say 'work it in'. but ranting aside, I'm glad you liked it!**

**KayKay: Thank you so much! I'm glad Cali's actually got you laughing out loud xD **

**CurbItKirby: Ah, yes. I enjoyed that one as well xD**

**Pinklittlewitch: I saw that! It kind of made me want a crossbow XD and I don't even hunt. And where would I find these spoilers? And yes! I did have a lot of playtime with Cali and Daryl xD I only hope I did a decent job of it!**

**Really? :D That's awesome! You're like my unofficial publicist! And hey, if NR sees it, and likes it, Maybe we'll get to see Nia on TV :D and I'm glad my Daryl lived up to expectations!**

**FlyOnBy: I understand. We all fucking hate her xD and thanks so much!**

**Nelly: You know, you're right! Who gives a shit! Nia deserved to hear it! And thank you so much! I really do appreciate you telling me that! :D**

**Well there you go little Zombies! Enjoy! And remember? Do you wanna Glenn/Cali oneshot with a bag of weed? Or do you want to see a Camp Clueless Thanksgiving!**

**Let me know!**

**-Eris**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: *Pulls self out from under a massive mountain of tissues and chocolate wrappers* ehhhhh D: what a fuckin' week! I got dumped guys :'( and if that wasn't enough reason to indulge myself on sadness and food, Shane goes on his crazy ass rant and opens the damn barn and *SPOILER* Sophia had to stumble out? D': Holy shit yo!**

**But that's no excuse for neglecting my Little Zombies D: Sorry guys!**

**So, I'll try and see what Cali can do to lighten the mood, but put on your angst hats guys, shit's about to go down. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, and this chapter has swearing, violence, and complete and utter sadness. Oh, and the chapter title is a song lyric (Actually…they all are) And this one is from Yellow Butterfly by Meg and Dia…if you feel like cryin'…listen to it, and think about Sophia and Carol…and I promise you will at least tear up. **

**Get ready guys! It's a long one!**

Chapter 23: I Can Still That Scream, It's Still Lingering, In The Air, Everywhere, Mother Please Save Me

Cali had been in better moods. Don't ask her what was wrong, she couldn't really tell you. She had popped two of her precious sleeping pills last night, and it had still taken her much longer to fall asleep than she had expected. So she was tired, and she was pissy, and for some reason, that morning, she was fucking freezing.

So she sat on the ground, next to Daryl's chair, drowning in her grey sweatshirt, and just eyeing the camp. Carol was further pushing back women's rights armed with only a spatula. Everyone was all huddled up, and Andrea was looking like a Rambo knock off running a massive hunting knife down a cheese grater. Cali narrowed her eyes at the woman._ Well, looks like someone got the 'sharp pointy' privileged back…whoopdetapdancingdoo for fuckin' her._

Yeah, she was in a terrible mood. And it really wasn't helping that Daryl kept nudging his foot against her back…for no other reason than to just piss her off…

_He thought his side hurt now? Daryl was three kicks away from a brand new scar_.

Luckily, Daryl was spared a future scar by Glenn, taking a very uncharacteristic spotlight in the group. "Hey guys?...So, uh,…the barn's full of Walkers."

The entire air of the camp surged into something tense, and on edge. Cali was almost surprised by the change; she didn't think it was that big a deal. After all, they'd been here what? Close to two weeks? And they hadn't even noticed until now? Obviously the Gang Greene Gang had the barn secure enough. Nothing for them to flip their lids over.

Apparently, Camp Clueless disagreed, and everyone nearly threw their plates full of _food_, that thing that they never had enough of, to the ground, and took off towards the barn. Cali shrugged, and followed them herself. She wanted a head count of whatever Walkers were in the barn anyways. She'd wanted to keep her promise to Amy, to document the world now, but she'd never been able to get a good picture of the Walkers. Now, in a confined area, maybe she could.

They trucked on up to the barn, and they created a half circle before the doors, a formation the camp always end up in. The majority of them would stand in formation, and then either Rick or Shane would take point, or jump up on a soapbox. Cali wasn't disappointed. Shane stalked right up to the barn, and peered inside. Even from where she was standing, Cali could hear moaning…a lot of moaning. There were quite of few of the undead stored up in there. Everyone else seemed to be angry, but she just wanted to know how they got them in there.

Shane jumped away from the door, and turned on Rick. "Don't you tell me you're okay with this!"

"I'm not." Rick answered immediately, his voice hitting that certain pitch, where it was thick and full of malice…and pretty sexy. Cali wouldn't lie. "But we're guests here! This isn't our land!"

"Land?" Shane laughed. "This is our_ lives!_"

"Be quiet!" Lori ordered the two men.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug!" Andrea scoffed, and T-Dog nodded.

"It ain't right. Ain't right at all."

"Now listen," Shane was pacing around again. "Either we go in there, and we make this right…or we go. Now, we've been talkin' about Ft. Benning for a long time-"

"We are not leaving!" Rick argued.

"Why Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter's still out there." Carol spoke up, and Shane covered his face with his hands, a slightly hysterical laugh.

"C-Carol, I think it's time that we all started to slightly consider the other possibility-"

"Shane! We are not leaving Sophia behind!"

"Nah! I'm close tuh findin' this girl! I just found her damn doll two days go!" Daryl spoke up now, and the tension got thicker. Shane made it worse by laughing.

"Yeah Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll!"

Daryl threw his arm to the side, like he usually did when he was starting to get riled up. "Ya don' know whut th' hell yer talkin' about!"

"I'm just saying what needs to be said! You get a good lead in the first forty eight hours, that's something. But, you know, let me tell you something man, if she was alive out there and saw you coming, all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, man she'd run in the other direction!"

The two men went at each other then, and Cali and the rest of the group went to break up the fight. She grabbed the back of Daryl's shirt and winced as she made a fist and pulled him back, with Andrea pushing him from the front. Cali could feel the anger radiating off the man from here, and Shane was not exactly instilling confidence in everyone.

"Enough!" Rick ordered, and everyone looked at him. "Just let me talk to Hershel!"

"How is that going to help?"

"If we're going to clear this barn, we have to have his permission!"

"Uh, maybe we should talk about this somewhere else." Cali spoke up, eyeing the barn.

"No, Hershel sees those things as people! His wife, and his step son! They're in there!" Dale spoke up now.

"You knew?" Rick asked.

"Since yesterday. I talked to Hershel."

"And you decided to wait the night?" Shane growled.

"I thought we could survive the night. We did."

"And we have been." Cali tossed out there, finally letting go of Daryl's shirt. "Since we got here. I really don't think it's any of our business."

"Are ya fuckin' stupid Nia?" Daryl turned on her. Lori made a tick on her swear jar count. "Ya think this is a good idea?"

"You tell me all powerful hunter man. Did you even fucking notice them before now?" Cali asked. Daryl froze, before snarling.

"I ain't been here much. I've been out there!" He threw his arm in the direction of the woods.

"Yeah, and you've probably been in more danger than we have! What's the fucking problem?" She argued with him, and the camp continued to argue amongst themselves. They only stopped when they saw the doors being forced open by the Walkers.

"Time to go?" Cali asked, looking at Glenn.

"Time to go." He nodded, and most of the camp began running back towards where they had set up. The group slowly rebuilt itself back at camp, minus Shane, and they looked at each other. They didn't speak for a long time, they just settled down in their chairs again, and stared into the fire. Glenn shook his head, and took off towards the chicken coop. Cali couldn't blame him. Staying around these people was hard. They were just so…difficult. Although, the fact that Maggie was there probably had something to do with it…

"I think we need to go against Hershel on this one." Andrea spoke up.

"That's not happening. Hershel's done too much for us. He patched up Carl, let us stay here, and cleaned up a gunshot wound _you_ caused." Cali spat. "We owe that man too much to go against his wishes. I'm with Rick on this one. It's his land, it's his rules."

"Ya ferget tha' Walkers ain' pets!" Daryl growled. "They'll eatcha. No matta whut. They ain't supposed to be spared."

"They're in the barn. They aren't hurting anyone." Cali tried to argue.

"All they do is hurt people!" Andrea argued. "Or have you forgotten that!"

"I was in the hospital when this shit went down! I know what they're capable of!" Cali snarled back at the Trigger Happy Twins. "I know what they are! But those are Hershel's walkers! Not our call."

"I think we might just have to make this call on our own." T-Dog spoke up, eyes looking at everyone else. "There's a lot of them in there. It'd be just like the time that camp got attacked. We just can't let them stay in the barn."

"This isn't our land!" Rick reminded the group, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We can't do anything without permission."

"We're in danger!"

"No, we're not." Dale sighed. "We didn't even know about the barn until now. They obviously keep it secure. What's the harm? Besides, if the Walkers do break out, we know exactly what to expect from them. We know how many, and where they would go."

"We also know that most of us aren't sharpshooters." Lori mentioned. "I'm not taking a side here, but if they got out. It would be trouble."

"They're chained and padlocked in, and chains hold against Walkers." Cali sighed. "Didn't the chains on the door in Atlanta prevent Merle from getting eaten?"

"Fer all we fuckin' know." Daryl snarled, eyes flashing. "But tha' door was in a narrow hallways. That's a fuckin' barn. They could all press up against it if they wanted to."

"And they did. The door didn't give." Rick reminded the man. Daryl just shook his head.

"Screw ya idiots!" Daryl growled "I'm goin' out tuh look fer tha' girl." He stalked off, everyone watched his back leave.

"God, who's going to tell him to give it up already?" Andrea spat, and Carol's eyes widened. Everyone was almost in shock by what slid out of Andrea's mouth. Her blue eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth. "Oh, Carol, I'm so sorry, that's not what I meant. I just…"

Carol took a deep breath, and she faced Andrea with watery eyes. "Alright, I'll go tell him." And she turned around and stalked off, leaving everyone in a stunned silence. The group slowly broke apart, leaving Cali sitting there, head shaking. God, if felt like her family was purposely driving each other away from each other.

Footsteps slowly approached her, and she glanced up, and a glob of yolk splattered on her knee. Glenn was standing above her, with the saddest look on his face. Cali could only offer a sympathetic look as he pulled off his hat, egg connecting it to his head. "Oh sweetie…talk with Maggie didn't go well?"

"No…not really."

* * *

Cali shoved Glenn's shirt into a bucket of suds, and began to scrub vigorously to fight the yellow stain from settling into the white baseball shirt. "I think the shirt is salvageable!" She gave the boy a smile, and he looked at his hat floating in the water.

"What about the hat?"

"I really hate to tell you this…" Cali frowned. "But…it looks like it's going to need a washing machine…which…"

"Which Maggie has. Got it." He sighed, and Cali pulled out the shirt to check it over.

"Well, we'll let this soak, and see what happens." She decided, and dropped it into the bag, a smile on her face. "Now, what do you wanna do?"

"I have to go keep watch, so, you should come with me, because I hate standing up there by myself."

"Deal." Cali answered, and Glenn headed over there to let Andrea off the RV. The blonde woman passed her icily, but froze when Daryl stalked right past them, knocking them both slightly off balance. And he was soon followed by a crying Carol.

"Carol! What happened?" Andrea asked. Cali glared at her.

"What do you think happened?"

"Why don't you go take care of your boyfriend?"

Cali wanted another go at this woman, her haunches were up, and her teeth were bared, and Cali wanted to cut into that more than she could believe. Her hands burned at the thought of even balling into a fist, but she wanted to send it flying through her teeth again. "Then you take care of Carol." Cali spat through clenched teeth, and started towards Daryl.

"Hey! Dixon, Hey! Wait!" Cali jogged to catch up with Daryl, who wasn't slowing down at all. She was starting to wonder what exactly had gone down.

"Ge' the fuck away from me."

"Not this game." Cali muttered and she walked right in front of him. His eyes were dark, and almost on fire, the rage pure and sinister. It was the most life she'd seen in those eyes in a long time. He sneered at her.

"Ya best ge' out my way." He snarled again, accent getting thicker with anger. She resisted the urge to wince, instead she stood straighter.

"Make me." She challenged, knowing he wouldn't do a damn thing. Daryl grabbed her arms and tightened his grip as if he was going to toss her aside, then he paused, eyes locking with hers.

"Leave me be."

"What happened?"

"I'm sick a everyone's shit! How the fuck did everythin' flip around! When the hell did _I_ become th' only one who's still even tryin' to hope that little girl's alive!"

"Carol…doesn't think so?"

"Nah. 'Pparently not. Fuck all ya'll, if ya ain't interested, why the fuck should I be?"

"Why's Carol crying?"

Daryl growled again. "Didja come over here tuh bitch at me? Cuz ya know I ain't interested."

"What did you say to Carol?" Cali insisted, teeth clenching together. Daryl was meaner than sin when he was mad, and throwing that together with a battered woman? Outlook not so good.

"Wha'? Yer gonn' get on my case because I called her a stupid bitch! What suggests she's not? Givin' up on her own damn kid…"

Cali glared at Daryl, and clenched a fist. _Don't solve this with your fists. Don't solve this with your fists. Daryl is waaaaaaaay bigger than you._ "You can't talk like that to her!"

"Why not!"

"Don't you remember Ed? That's fuckin' why! Call me or Andrea a stupid bitch and we can brush it off but Carol can't! Do you know what that could do to her!" Cali was so mad, she was close to spitting. "She already lost her husband, and now she's probably lost her kid too. You can't fucking bully her! At all!"

"She gotta toughen up Nia. Or she ain't gonna make it."

"If you wanna toughen her up, you find a different fucking way to do it. But putting her down, or pushing her around, that's not going to help at all." Cali turned around, and started walking back towards the RV. "Make it right Daryl. Or so help me God, I will make you feel just as bad as she does."

She stalked back towards the RV, and pulled herself up the ladder. She plopped down next to Glenn and barked out a growl. Glenn nudged her with a foot, and she looked up at him.

"Boys are so fucking stupid."

"What was that?" A voice asked through the RV. Cali winced and looked down the screen, to see Lori looking up at her, with her hands on her hips. Carl was grinning almost as wide as the brim of his hat. Rick was sitting at the table, looking over his son's math work, a smile on his face.

"Boys are Sofa King stupid." Cali repeated.

"Sofa King?"

"Yeah, back in Powell, there were these commercials for the local furniture store, and the character in the commercial was the 'Sofa King'. But the commercials were always really, really stupid and they hardly ever made sense. Like, in one, the Sofa King was dancing with a tree. Totally didn't make sense. Just like boys. They're 'Sofa King' stupid. It's a rare breed." Cali lied through her fucking teeth, making sure she kept eye contact with Mother Monster the entire time.

Carl was trying really hard not to laugh now, and Lori just looked amused. The Grimes family was silent for a second before Rick looked at his wife. "I think you should let her go this time, that was a damn good cover."

* * *

Keeping watch wasn't something Cali did very often. Usually, there was laundry to do, or food to cook, but right now, there wasn't. Instead, she was keeping watch with Glenn and she was amazed at how she could see everything that went on in the camp.

Glenn was watching the open area, so Cali was on 'Distant Barn Watching', so basically, it was actually like watching _Walker Housewives_. She could see one of the Gang Greene Gang, Jimmy? Probably Jimmy, hauling ass through the woods behind his house towards the front door, and he looked a little more than worried.

Then there was Rick and Andrea, right below the RV and they were looking at a map, trying to figure out where Sophia might've wandered off to. They had seriously narrowed down the search area, so they had a rare sense of hopeful optimism about them.

Lori was chopping something up on a board, and in stalked Shane and all his swagger as he walked up to her. They looked civil enough, but Cali would've given close to anything to be a fly on that wall. Glenn shook his head. "You're supposed to be watching the barn, not the people."

"The barn is boring, our group is not." Cali grinned. "Besides, this is the first time my imaginary TV show has actually looked like a real TV show. And don't tell me you don't spy when you're on watch."

"Only sometimes." Glenn smiled, and readjusted Dale's hat on his head. Cali stared at the hat, and back down at the group of people. "Wait, where's the Peacekeeper?"

"No idea." Glenn sighed. "There wasn't anybody on watch for a minute or two. That would've pissed off Rick and Shane."

"Doesn't take much to piss off Rick and Shane."

"A cloud in the sky."

"A bee on a flower."

"A coked out redneck."

"A barn full of Walkers." Cali snickered.

"They're so unreasonable. They should just accept what is." Glenn smiled back. Cali nodded.

"Seriously, they're wound up waaaaaay too tight. Officers Grimes and Walsh need to just have a sit down with a J and relax." Cali yawned and stretched out on the RV roof.

"Not just them, the entire camp could use a break."

"We could hot box in the RV."

"Carl would have to sit outside though."

"Yes, of course. Drugs are bad, Carl shouldn't do them. Everyone else though, yes they should."

"Too bad we don't actually have any weed." Glenn smiled. Cali winked at him.

"Who says I don't?"

"Are you serious?"

"My name is California. I'm pretty good at sniffing that out."

Glenn opened his mouth to say something, but he saw Shane coming towards them, and he changed his mind. "Sup?" Shane didn't answer though, he just walked right into the RV and Cali and Glenn listened to him clatter things around in there.

"What could he possibly be looking for?" Cali whispered up to Glenn. The Pizza Boy shrugged. Finally, Shane came out of the RV, looking all sorts of pissed off.

"Did you see where he went?" Shane called up to them.

"Who?"

"Don't even try shittin' me. Okay?"

"What?" Glenn responded, more confused than anything.

"Dale, Glenn. Dale. Did you see where he went?"

"Yeah, he said to run and get him some water, said he'd run and cover me on watch."

"Was he gone when you got back?"

"Yeah…you think he's okay?"

"Oh he's fine."

"Why'd he bail then?"

"So you wouldn't tell me which way he went." Shane answered, sounding angrier than ever. Cali shivered in the heat of the day. As far as personality, she liked Shane. She did, but he was scary sometimes, there was no denying that.

"I don't get it."

"No man, you sure don't." Shane spat before walking away. Glenn looked at Cali and just threw up his hands.

"Why do they talk to me like that? I mean shit, how am I supposed to know what's going on with them? They're always on so many different pages it's hard to read even a little!"

"I feel you dude. I really do." Cali assured him and she looked at Shane's retreating figure. "No one here makes much sense."

And no one did, it was hard to really trust anyone around them. Everyone seemed to have their 'this is who I am' moments and their 'this is what this world made me' moments, and she wasn't sure which personality she was talking to half the time, but it was always there. A monster hidden under the skin. Everyone she cared about weren't themselves. But logically, if what she theorized was true, then she wasn't herself either.

"Who are these people Cali? I feel like I don't know them as well anymore." Glenn sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face.

"We are who we are." Cali answered simply. "That's the only way I can think to explain it."

Cali saw Daryl reappear then, and he walked slowly like a wounded puppy over to Carol. He looked down the entire time, and then he jerked his head towards the woods once. Carol nodded, and got up to follow him, her pace a few steps behind his the entire time.

"But…who knows who we are." She added as she watch the two of them walk towards the woods. "This world keeps changing us."

* * *

"Maggie!" Glenn called from where he was sitting, and Cali turned away from where she'd been watching Carl and Andrea get into some sort of fight about whether or not Spongebob was over thirty. The Farmer's Daughter looked right at Glenn, and then turned away.

"Ouch." Cali muttered and Glenn looked down at her. "Keep watch for me. Please?"

"Sure sure." Cali answered, and the gun was pushed into her hands. Glenn flew down the ladder and ran off towards Maggie. She wanted those two to fix things. They were her favorite couple, and they needed to get back together, or get together…or put a name to what they were. Right now, they were just the obvious item, but Cali wanted a name for it.

If they didn't give her one, she'd give them a nickname, and there was no way those two would want that.

Glenn ran over to Maggie, and Cali couldn't fucking hear what they were saying. Oh, that wasn't fair.

_Maggie, I love you! I love you and I wish that you could see that. But you don't, because you're made because I told, well you know what? I'm glad I told. I'm glad I did it, because now, everyone's on the same page. And when everyone's on the same page then no one gets hurt. How could they? Because when we all know how the story ends, then we can all be ready for it. So I told, but I'm glad I did it._ Cali supplied the dialogue in her head, matching the words she thought up to the gestures Glenn was making.

_That was more Grey's Anatomy than Desperate Housewives though._ She decided as Glenn turned away from Maggie and started back towards the RV.

"Hey Walker Bait!" Maggie called out, and Cali shivered. That was a terrible nickname…it was cold…and a little too accurate for her taste. Glenn turned back around and Maggie walked up to him. They talked for a few more seconds before they began making out. Cali threw a fist into the air.

_Score one for love…or hormones. _

* * *

"Twenty four." Carl put his cards down on the table, and Cali, Beth and Patricia all groaned.

"How do you always win?" Cali asked. She'd lost that round by a full ten points. Carl only grinned under his daddy's hat. "You just won my bat off me!"

"I'm good at cards, can't push me for that." He smiled and leaned against the railing of the porch. Cali rubbed the back of her neck and wished for a rubber band again. When Glenn was done making goo goo eyes at Maggie over there on the steps, she'd ask to see their supply list and add that in.

"You sure you don't have cards hidden in that hat of yours?" Beth asked. Carl looked down, and Cali snatched his hat off his head, and two cards came fluttering out. Both of them Aces.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

"SORRY!"

"How long have you been suckering money out of me like this?" Cali asked. "You made me think I sucked at cards!"

"Cali…I just got this hat…you do suck at cards."

"Oh shut your mouth boy, and give me back my bat." Cali ordered, and Carl handed over the aluminum toy.

"Fine, but I don't think you're any better with the bat than you are with cards."

Cali glared at the little boy, but Carl was saved by Andrea and T-Dog arriving. "Hey what's going on?"

"Yeah, where is everyone?" Andrea asked.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked the two.

"He went off with Hershel; we were supposed to leave a couple hours ago." Andrea explained. Cali tilted her head. She remembered seeing Rick when she was on watch…then Rick had just disappeared.

"Yeah ya were. Whut th' hell?" Daryl asked as he stalked up.

"Rick told us he was goin' out." Carol supplied. Daryl looked at them, flicked an imaginary cigarette to the ground.

"Wha' the hell. Isn't anybody takin' this seriously? We got us a damn trail!" Daryl threw his thumb towards the woods, and looked behind him. "Ah, here we go." He spat at Shane, who was approaching slowly.

_Shouldn't Dale be with him?_ Cali swallowed that thought. He probably was right behind Shane. The former officer walked up to the group with a purpose, and the air changed completely. He had the bag of guns with him, and Daryl eyed him. "Wha's all this."

"Man, you with me?" Shane asked, and shoved a gun into Daryl's chest. The hunter only cocked the gun in response. Andrea and T-Dog fell into line with him. "You already got yours?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah but where's Dale?"

"He's on his way." Shane answered as she put a gun in T-Dog's hands.

"I thought we couldn't carry."

"We can. And we have to." Shane ended that argument. "Look, it was one thing sittin' around and pickin' daisies when we thought this place was safe. Now we know it ain't." He walked over to Glenn and pulled out another gun. "What about you man, you goin' to protect yours?" Glenn looked at Maggie, and accepted the gun. Cali looked over to Daryl, who gave her a sideways glance.

She shook her head. This wasn't right, Shane wasn't in charge, and Rick had made his feelings about this perfectly clear. It wasn't their land. They had no say.

Daryl picked up on that, but he just looked at Shane and nodded. He disagreed; they had to get rid of the problem now. Even if the landowners didn't agree.

Shane looked over at Maggie. "Can you shoot?"

"Can you stop?" She spat right back. "If you do this, if you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"Listen to her Shane, we can't lose this place." Cali spoke from the stairs where she stood with Beth and Patricia. "It's not our call."

"We have to stay Shane." Carl agreed. Lori came thundering over now. "What is this?"

"We ain't goin' anywhere man." Shane assured Carl. "Now look, Hershel, he's just gonna understand okay. He's just gonna have to." Shane knelt down next to Carl. "Now, we gonn' find Sophia. Now you need to take this, and hold onto it and use it to keep your mother safe. Alright, go on, take it. Take the gun, you know how."

"Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make." Lori all but spat into Shane's face. Now, that right there was a Southern Woman. Cali needed to take lessons from her.

"Oh _shit_." T-Dog dropped his jaw, and everyone looked over to where he was staring. Slack jaws all around. Cali leaned her body over the railing, and saw what looked like Jimmy, Rick and Hershel leading…Walkers…_Oh fuck._

"What is that?" Shane asked as he took off running. Cali hopped the railing and started to follow with everyone else, bat thrown over her shoulders. She tried to keep up, but she didn't want to. This had bad idea written all over it. But no one else seemed to think so, it was the second time today she'd run down to this barn. Shane ran through the open gate. "Man, what the HELL ARE YOU DOIN'?"

"Shane, back off!" Rick ordered.

"Why do your people have guns!" Hershel asked, struggling with a long blonde haired Walker in a night dress. Cali froze as soon as she saw it. _Mom?_

She shook her head. No, that wasn't her mom. Her mom was in Wyoming. She wasn't here, she couldn't possibly be here. So that wasn't her mom. It was the long blonde hair that threw her off. Still, she took a deep shuddering breath, and tried to move forward without shaking.

"Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me!" Shane looked back at the group. "You see? You see what they're holding onto?"

"Just let us do this! Then we'll talk!" Rick ordered Shane as he still struggled to hold onto his Walker.

"Talk about what Rick! These things ain't sick! They ain't people! They're dead Rick! You ain't gotta feel nothing for them! Because all they do? They kill! Right here! They are the things that killed Amy! They killed Otis! They gonna kill all of us unless we do something!"

"SHANE SHUT UP!" Rick ordered the man, but to no success.

"Hey Hershel, let me ask you something. A living, breathing person. Could they walk away from this?" Shane asked.

"Don't!" Rick yelled.

Shane pulled his trigger three times and Cali's hands flew up to her mouth. Daryl shot her a look, and she realized with a sickening feeling, that she had probably screamed 'mom'. She couldn't help it. That fucking Walker looked just like her Mom.

"Shane! Stop it!"

"That was three rounds to the chest! Could someone who's alive just take that! Why is it still coming." Two more shots. "That's its heart! It's lung! Why's it still coming!" Two more shots.

"Quit it!" Cali screamed.

"Shane enough!" Rick ordered his second in command once more. But Shane was gone, and some fucking maniac stood in his place.

"Yeah, you right man. That is enough." Shane agreed, and walked up to Walker Mom, and but a bullet in her head. Everyone looked shocked. Camp Clueless had seen how many Walkers die? But they all looked a little tripped up by this. Cali could feel tears well up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. They were dangerous, but there was a humane way to put them down. They _were_ people at one point damnnit.

"Enough!" Shane snarled at them, eyes shining with someone unparalleled to anything Cali had seen before. "Risking our lives looking for a little girl who's GONE!" Carol dropped her jaw, and tears filled her eyes and Cali reached over and grabbed her hand. She didn't know what else to do, hell, she was scared to even move right now. "Enough! Living next to barn full of things that are trying to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now, if ya'll wanna live, if ya'll wanna survive, then ya'll gotta fight for it. I'm talking right here! Right now!" Shane ran towards the barn, and everyone woke up then.

"Hershel! Take it! Come on man, take it! Hershel please, listen to me now. Take it!" Rick begged the man to take his Walker, but Hershel was on his knees, eyes a thousand miles away. Hershel wasn't there right now, and nothing was going to bring him back.

"Shane, what the hell are you doing!" Lori cried out.

"Someone take him out!" Beth called, but no one from Camp Clueless moved. They knew better. You don't fucking touch Shane, because the man will destroy you. They couldn't do anything about him. Rick could, but Rick was busy holding onto a Walker, and no one else in camp could really do anything to Shane. He was off limits almost.

So they stood and watched as Shane went for the lock with a pick ax. Everyone screamed, they wanted him to back off, but no one stopped him. _We want this_ Cali realized this a second too late. _We want this chaos over. We want him to open the barn._ Still no one tried stopping Shane, and he got the barn open.

He backed up slowly, and waited. Finally, a Walker appeared. He was bald, in overalls and was immediately fixated on Shane. Andrea rushed to Shane's side, and took aim. Daryl joined up not long after. T-Dog followed and they all began shoot the Walkers out one by one.

Glenn was shaking, and every cell in his body told him to join, but he held back. "Maggie." He spat through clenched teeth. Maggie sobbed out a yes and he went to join the firing squad.

Cali hadn't been given a gun, but she did have the bat. Which was better than nothing at this point. She stepped in front of Carol, on the off chance that they let a straggler get lose, she'd have them covered. But all she could do now was watch them line up and pick off the Walkers one by one.

She didn't believe they were people anymore. She knew better than that. Cali had seen what they could do, and what they did do to real people. But, she was also convinced that the Walkers held some humanity, even if it was the tiniest amount. She was basing this off the church Walkers they had come across when searching for Sophia. Those three, had been sitting in the pews, facing the crucifix. Cali hadn't seen Walkers sit before, and they had closed the door behind them, and they sat in silence. There was a little humanity left in these creatures, she knew it.

So, she wondered if the Walkers in the barn recognized Hershel and his family, if they were a little excited to see them that split second before they received a bullet to the head. And for the first time, Cali questioned if they were surviving the right way.

When the last Walker finally fell, they stood in silence.

No one knew what to say, and no one had anything to say. They were just done. In every sense of the word. There was no way Hershel would allow them to stay after this fiasco, and they'd be back in the woods before the night was over. Cali knew it, she could feel it in her bones. They had just royally fucked themselves over.

A quiet moan filled the air, and spilled out from the darkness of the barn. The entire camp was on alert once again, guns risen back up. They had one more loose end to tie before their slaughter was over. This Walker was slow, and it took its sweet time. But finally, it came into view.

Once Cali saw the shoes, she knew.

"_I hate these shoes." Sophia complained while Cali helped her unknot her other one. "These laces somehow always get tangled." The two of them sat on the shore, watching Carl as he skipped rocks by the quarry. _

"_They are pretty good at it." Cali admitted at she tugged on the laces with her teeth. Sophia rolled her eyes. _

"_That won't help. They're almost designed not to come undone. I used to just slip them on and off but…my daddy didn't like that." Sophia's face fell a little, and Cali felt for the little girl. Ed was a monster, and those bruises he'd given her the day before were an inky black. She hadn't been impressed with him in the slightest. _

"_Tell you what, I'll talk to Glenn when he comes back, and I'll see what he can do about getting you a different pair of shoes yeah?" Cali asked, and Sophia smiled up at her._

"_That'd be nice."_

"_Okay. Now come on, Carl bet me he could skip a rock farther, and I'm not about to let him prove himself right!" Cali grabbed Sophia's hand and pulled her towards the water. _

Cali immediately dropped her bat, and the camp froze when they realized who was staggering towards them. Cali wanted to deny it, but how could she? The clothes were the same as the day she disappeared, and those yellow eyes almost had the same scared look as they did when they were green.

"Oh, Sophia. Sophia no!" Carol cried and she pushed past Cali, who jumped on the older woman, knocking her to the ground. She was trying to get a good hold on the Mother, when Carol got back up again, and ran towards her daughter, and drug Cali along for the ride.

Daryl caught Carol and Cali and brought them both down to the ground. Daryl had his arm around Cali's stomach and Carol's. Cali had wrapped both her arms around Carol and she wasn't letting go. After a minute Carol stopped fighting, and just started sobbing. Cali wished she could slide out from between the two people. Carol's sadness was radiating off of her in waves, and behind her Cali could feel Daryl's body shaking against her back. She opened her mouth to remember to breathe, and tasted saltwater. Sure enough, she was crying too.

Now, suddenly it was different. Suddenly, the Walker had a face that Camp Clueless recognized, and they couldn't lift a gun. None of them. Because that wasn't a Walker to them, that was Sophia. They were hypocrites, and this is how God decided to punish them for it. No one moved. Why wasn't anyone moving? That little girl was going to eat them alive if they didn't but still no one moved. No one was strong enough to do what needed to be done. But Cali didn't move either. She had one shot in her, and she could use it. But she couldn't move. She couldn't do it. She wasn't strong enough. And she was beginning to think that no one was, until Rick finally moved.

He didn't stand too far away from Sophia, and unlike the other shooters, and he took Sophia in his sights, Rick looked sorry. He looked sorry, and sad and hurt that he had to do this. But he still did it. Because that what' Rick did for them. He took care of them, and he was stronger than Cali had ever realized.

His shot rang loud, and Sophia hit the ground hard. Carol slumped into nothing in Cali's arms, and Daryl was leaning on her now, the shaking having evolved into trembling. Cali turned away from the scene and buried her face into Daryl's neck. She could feel her tears fall out of her eyes, and land on his skin. Normally, she wouldn't cry on him like that, but seeing as she could feel something wet in her hair, where her head was pressed against Daryl's face...she wouldn't move. No one moved. Everyone ceased to exist, they all stopped breathing. The only sound echoing off the farm was the crying of a heartbroken mother, and the screaming of everyone's conscious in their ears.

* * *

**Hell, that was one fucking cliffhanger they left us. Hard enough to watch, harder to write out. So I'm sorry it was so fucking negative…but I could not turn this into a positive…but hey. We've got a while until it come back. You guys want some more Landing Feet First?**

**Thank yous!:**

**SpoiledRotten94: I will get right on that! And I know, this Daryl/Carol thing might end up a problem for little Miss California…but in an interview I read, Mr. Reedus said that he hopes it doesn't go romantic, so maybe we'll get lucky! :D**

**LilianaKay2011: If Cali has to pay Lori's crazy ass prices, then everyone else does too! And I totally missed the Thanksgiving boat (turkey hangover) But I do have a Christmas special coming up! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Zombie Killing 101: HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY! Was it a good one? :D xD I'm glad you liked the Ass smacking. It just seemed like something Daryl would do xD. I think AMC should put Nia in the show! I hope they do! That would be amazing!**

**SaraLostInes: Why thank you! I figured if she was going to the doctor for it, the kick from a gun might actually hurt more than it normally would. And I'm glad you think so!**

**Doll-Fin-Chick: Oh, I just loved Merle, he's so Politically Incorrect that he's just everyone's favorite. How could you not love that guy? And I kind of like Shane/Andrea…it think it's something they should explore, that's for sure! And yes XD Cali hates Murphy, she hates bad luck and she can't really decide if still being alive is good luck or bad luck. **

**Hahahah xD Nia is always a bitch, that's why people like her! And believe me, she wanted to fight Andrea, but it did a quick glance at how she was doing physically…and I kind of beat the shit out of her. She needed a break xD**

**Oh! And it's KNEE-Uh ;)**

**Lucy Freebird: I'm glad you think they're so good together, because they're going to end up killing each other xD and it will be one epic battle, because they don't always see eye to eye. If fact, it's hardly ever that they do. Thanks for the review!**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: Daryl's not a cuddly person, so Cali's not cuddly back xD and they're all part of the swear game! Lori will be richer than anything by the end of this season! And yes, Cali and Glenn high is comin' up! Keep an eye out! Thanks for the review! I love hearing from you xD**

**Alina Maxwell: Thanks so much, and I hope you enjoyed!**

**Willow the Collie: Weed and Cali and Glenn! Because I totally missed the thanksgiving boat lol…but keep your eyes open, because I have a Christmas special for you guys in the works :D and yes, there's always a lot of Cali vs. Daryl xD and I think I will, those two can't be at each other forever. They'll have to get over it at some point. **

**Willow: Oh I'm just glad you reviewed, and I agree. Andrea should still be a bloody pulp. She'd probably look cuter. And they have a body of water at that farm. We should take care of her. Mafiosa style. **

**Yes, Shane/Andrea is really gross. But, I kind of like them together. And the chicken scene was gross as hell! My god, that was so unnecessary! And I think she should've let the chicken keeps it's legs…make it a fair fight. And besides, do they have to feed the Walkers?**

**Lori is a very rich woman, and only getting richer! And Cali's from Wyoming XD trust me, we don't talk pretty here. It's very rough. **

**And yes! The target practice was noisy and wasteful! And so was the fucking execution of the BarnWalkers! I mean seriously these people need to invest in silencers. And I have to agree, when things die, they should stay totally dead. And if you bury a Walker, would they dig themselves back out?**

**Would you like a BDS FF about Murphy's awful luck…maybe have the Brothers MacManus meet the Brothers Dixon? ;D let me know!**

**And I missed thanksgiving, but Get high can still happen! :D and I think Rick might just have to take a hit or two himself! Lighten up a little bit! And yeah! Why the hell didn't Rick confront Shane about fucking his wife? That's something I'd want to hash out…**

**Night-Weaver369: Hahaha they do like each other! Under the arguing and bitchy remarks, they really do care about one another. And yes! Your family kicks ass! I hope she dies off painfully and gory, that way I can do a sweet sad yes satisfied internal Cali monologue xD thanks love!**

**Alakari: Thanks! And I'm glad you like BDS too :D I really need to get back to that XD and you want a Murphy's law deal too? xD**

**Nekuranekomegami: Thanks hon! I'll try and get that out soon! And guess what! You were my 300****th**** reviewer :D Thanks so so much!**

**Pinklittlewitch: Thanks! I fucking loved that TWOP recaps xD they're the best. **

**Nelle07: It was sad, but it was still funny xD and hey, that's not a bad idea, maybe some crossbow lessons are in order XD**

**SOCOloco: Okay, first off, I about laughed my ass off at 'Walking Sue." That's funny as hell. Hurt a little that you called Cali a Walking Sue thought. I didn't really understand what you meant by too reactive? I just didn't follow you. And yeah, Glenn's Cali's Asian. My best friend is my Asian, if I offended you with that, I'm sorry. **

**And it's decently popular, but the fandom isn't shallow. I assure you, amidst all the smut fic, there are some very good, very well thought out introspective pieces that are more than amazing. And thank you, I will keep on writing. Thank you for your review. **

**ViktorsKrumpit: Don't pity him! Cali told him not to get up xD he needed to learn his lesson…which I'm sure he didn't. and seriously, I'm tempted to add up how much money Lori has made off Cali so far…I might have to make that a challenge. **

**Lori is a total bitch in the other fics…but when I watch the show, I don't think she's that much of a bitch. I think she's just Southern…and she does care about Carl, and I know she cares about Rick even if it's hard for her to show sometimes. **

**I do look some things up, but honestly Ehow makes it really easy to learn stuff XD that's what I've been using since my BDS fic and I had to treat some ciggy burns, stab wounds, puncture wounds, and do an autopsy. You know, the works xD**

**I do argue with myself xD whenever I'm alone in the car, I'm going over dialogue…and it's pretty bad when I get caught by other people, but you know what, as long as you guys like it, I'll keep looking crazy!**

**FieryF: Hell, if cuddling something works, Cali won't need pills anymore! She can just cuddle on up to Daryl and anticuddler XD awesome!**

**I freaking love Robert Downey Junior. So so so so so so so so so so so much. **

**He's only 4'6! :O holy crap, he's just itty bitty isn't he!**

**Take Life's Chances: I had to give you guys a funny chapter! Because this ones' really not all that funny D:**

**Yeah, Cali's seriously got some of the worst luck I've ever seen. Ever. **

**Don't feel bad. We all secretly (or not so secretly) enjoyed that crap out of it. Yeah, she's gotta take better care of those hands of hers. **

**Ah yes, the ass smack xD that was quite popular. Well, Daryl just seems like an ass man, you know? And it's sooo much better than my facebook XD none of my friends know that I write this stuff!**

**Ballisticliz: And you will! I should have it out soon!**

**Vashti415: I am reading your thoughts XD because they're my thoughts as well. Ah, thanks so much for the review! You have no idea how much they make my day!**

**Lolita91: There really was wayyy too much drama. Hopefully when they come back, they'll have a lot more horror and action than this constant talking thing. I'm glad you liked the chapter XD and yes! The almost obscenities! She only did that because Carl was right there xD**

**DrewSmith93: Hey, I'm glad you're digging it :D**

**And I'm sure there will be a High Times fic up soon! Keep an eye out!**

**She needed it kicked, and once more for good measure! I mean seriously! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Crystal Vice: Hey, three days during the holidays, and five other fics? I'm more than impressed :D**

**I'm glad you like Cali! And yeah, I don't like California much either. Not a very happy place, and Katy Perry just sucks…honestly. I loose mine easily too. It happens xD**

**I love Glenn! And he seriously does get the short end of the stick all the time…it's kind of sad for him! I just sort of wish that he'd get some props or something. That poor kid, he needs more respect from Camp Clueless. Seriously. **

**And I know right! He makes Total Asshole completely fucking sexy. So fucking sexy. **

**And Hurricane High will be coming soon! Keep your eyes open!**

**And a review is a review! And it was long and detailed and I loved it! So so much! And I gave myself twenty ego points for getting one XD**

**And yes! Honey Badgers and Double Rainbows! Awhmahgawd, this will be awesome.**

**Thanks Sydney!**

**xNeonxSharpies: **

**Well, then I won't deny you whorship. xD**

**And Cali does, she weird like that. People react to her, they just do!**

**I was too! I mean seriously, she's not ten guys. It's okay to hit Andrea. She won't cry…well she might cry. Pussy. **

**I'm glad you like it XD I really liked that part too! There had to be some reason that Daryl didn't get mad OVER BEING SHOT but he was pissed as all hell because Nia fucked the chink. I wanted to smack him too! So Cali did it for me. :D**

**And famous…wow. I can't even fucking believe it. I can't even tell you how amazing that is!**

**Shadowself144: Awh thanks so much! And I will! As soon as I can find a time, Cali and Daryl will get some ass, and no cockblocking this time. Thanks for the review!**

**Acoustix: I'm so glad you liked it XD always nice to hear from a reader! And thank you! I do honestly worry about how I portray the characters when I'm not basing it off TWD script and I actually get to play with them. It's fun, but also dangerous. It could cause an uproar! And alright, I won't ever change Cali :D I think, that she's grown up too much to change. She's coming into own lately, and it's like watching a kid grow up x')**

**And yes! I will try to do that! Sometimes I just forget that you aren't all in my head, and you can't see things the way I do xD thanks for the tip!**

**Hahaha I hope you enjoyed what I came up with and I PROMISE! THEY WILL FUCK SOON XD. **

**WolfAngel75: Awh thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the update!**

**Randfan07: That is a great way to describe it! "Realistic to the show in some weird way" oh my God I love that XD I admit that no one likes Andrea, so I figured I couldn't go wrong beating the shit out of her. And yes! I'm glad you felt the same way! She was so cool season one!**

**I totally agree with you! Cali was created because I was watching Resident Evil with my ex, and I was just like WTF, no one would react this way. I mean no one. They'd all be hiding in their closets with baseball bats crying. No one would go out into that mess. Not even close. **

**Ah, it makes me so happy when people get my references XD this stories got a good timeline, because it's supposed to be modern, so they would know what all of this was. That makes it so much fun for me. Thanks for the review! I loved it!**

**The-Flaming-Jackalope: Ah! I'm on Google? xD Awesome!**

**And yes, Just Dance was still to date, the second funniest thing I have ever written. It was nice to have something be lighthearted. **

**California was made to be what was a normal college kid in the middle of the end of the world. And I can't tell you how amazing it is to hear that's how she actually comes across. **

**I agree with you, so I'll try really hard to work the others in more! I tried doing that this time with that discussion they had about the Walkers, and it was nice. I'll try and add them in more!**

**And I'm so no a grammar Nazi…so if you're into Beta-ing, I would totally be up for that. I really could use a beta, no joke. I honestly cannot catch my spelling errors to save my life. **

**And don't worry, it really doesn't have to end. I have a spin-off of this called Landing Feet First, and I think I'll just take that off the shelf until Febuary :D**

**Thank you so much :D**

**I love you all Little Zombies, now tell me, you guys want me to dust off Landing Feet First until Febuary? :D**

**Thanks again guys! I love you all!**

**-Eris. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooow much do you hate me? :DDD Yeah, I know, I hate me too. But in my defense, I had a chapter written out like three days ago, buuuuut my computer (MY BRAND NEW FUCKING COMPUTER THAT I JUST FUCKIING GOT MOTHER FUCKING DAMN IT) wouldn't like…upload the goddamn thing. So, I ended up having to rewrite this chapter. All over again. Which kind of sucked, because this new one, turned out nothing like the old **

**I guess it's okay though…because it was kind of shitty. Cali wouldn't let me call a single fucking shot. Stupid bitch wasn't taking orders last week. However, with the episode this week, she's ready to behave again…seeing as CAROL'S TOTALLY TRYING TO MAKE A MOVE ON HER MAN! SUNUVABITCH!**

**First it was the blonde bitch…now? The mother fucking hell is going on? Damn, my poor imaginary girl. **

**Anyways, Eris missed you! And I'm getting back to business! I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own TWD…no matter how many letters I wrote :/**

Chapter 24: In The Night, The Stormy Night, Away She Flies

Cali couldn't tear her eyes away from the dead girl laying splayed out on the dusty ground. That didn't make sense, nothing in the picture in front of her made sense. Not Rick, not the dead girl, and not Daryl who was holding up the sobbing mother of the dead girl.

The silence echoed in her ears, and she wasn't even sure that was possible. But it was, there was so much screaming in the silence, and the waiting killed her. Someone was going to have to move at some point, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be her…she could barely breathe, being pushed between Daryl and Carol.

Daryl pulled the sobbing woman up, and finally freed Cali from the confinement of their bodies. She remained seated on the ground as the redneck pulled Carol away. "Don't look." He ordered as she tried to spin her body back around. "Don't look!" Carol finally pulled away from him, and she pushed him away. Still sobbing, she took off away from the area. Away from the people who had killed her child.

The rest stood like statues. Until finally, Beth broke the frozen exterior of the area, and she rushed straight towards the felled Walkers. Rick reached a hand out to stop her, but she gently pushed the officer away until she could reached the pile of bodies. She threw one off of another, and started crying harder. "Mom…"

Cali winced at that, and turned away. No kid should be subjected to that kind of pain. She lifted her head to the sky, but she had no idea who to curse. Was she supposed to curse God? Or maybe Fate? Or was this all caused by cruel human experimentation. But, her biggest question rang louder in her head than all the others.

_What the fuck did we do to deserve this?_

The screaming brought her back out of her head, and she brought her attention back to Beth, and her Walker Mom…who was still existing, and trying hard to eat her daughter. Camp Clueless jumped into effect then, and they jumped on the girl and her mother. Dealing with their feelings about Sophia? Nah, much too hard, but beating the shit out of a Walker…well…they knew how to do that. And they could do it well.

It almost made Cali smile when Andrea proved her point by slamming a scythe into the damn thing's head, right in front of her already emotionally scarred daughter. Camp Clueless lacked class, a thousand times over.

After that, the silence came back, louder than ever. It was really starting to tweak Cali out now. It wasn't a good silence, it was suffocating. Every second it lasted it promised to kill her. Slowly, and painfully, until she'd be on her knees _begging_ to be a Goddamned Walker. Tears flooded her eyes again, but she pawed them away. She was done crying, and done being scared. This wasn't what she wanted to be. She couldn't be. Being scared was no longer an option. All her fear, and all the sadness, she would learn to accept it without succumbing to it. She would make that her, and she would make herself strong enough for this shit.

Right after they buried Sophia…because right now, all Cali really wanted to do was curl up and sob. Goddamn it, why did it have to be that poor little girl. Honestly, at that moment, Cali would have been more than willing to take her place, and be the one laying there sprawled out in the dirt.

At least Sophia was sort of free now. At least the girl wasn't in pain. Not anymore.

A boot kicked the small of her back, and Cali lifted her eyes up from the body, to Daryl, who stood above her. He didn't say a word, and just offered her his hand. She accepted it, and he pulled, bringing her back up, and hopefully back to her senses. They stood there for a second or two, and watched the Gang Greene Gang and Rick, Shane and Glenn hobble back up towards the house. The rest of them didn't move. They wouldn't need to go far. There was still clean up that had to be done.

Cali blinked, and looked back up at Daryl. "Are you…you know…" She made a hand gesture. "…uh okay?"

Daryl snorted, but it didn't hold mirth, so much as he was calling her a dumbass for even asking. "Yeah, 'M fine Nia. Yerself?"

"I'm…okay." She muttered, looking down at her feet. "Not really okay, but I'm not going to like, jump in front of a bus or anything, if that's what you're asking."

"…Nawh…nawt askin' tha'." Daryl muttered, before sending his gaze back towards the RV, where Carol had run off to. Cali understood then. Guilt. Daryl felt guilty, which was stupid…because he'd done everything he possibly could…and then some for that little girl. But still, He felt guilty, and what else could he have done?

"Someone should go check on her." Cali told him, eyes blatantly telling him to do so. He looked away.

"Why don'tcha?"

"I'd much rather dig graves. Really." She rolled her eyes and nudged him. He glared at her, before glancing back at the RV, and he grumbled something that sounded like it could've okay, or he could've been calling her a fucking bitch, but Daryl headed off towards the RV.

Cali turned towards the rest of the camp, who only looked at the pile of bodies, and they all sighed. They Wyomingite tried not to frown. _Gonna be one hell of a barbeque this time._

* * *

Her hands couldn't really grip a shovel, but the pain didn't shop her from helping drag the Walkers off of each other so that the group could get a good look at how many there actually were.

Enough to make Cali's fucking stomach twist around like the girl from the mother fucking Exorcist by smell alone. That's how many damn Walkers they had laying in front of them. The girl wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was pretty impressed. The Gang Greene Gang had this many people under one roof, and Camp Clueless hadn't noticed at all. There were a lot of them, that was for sure. And it had taken most of the Camp to form that firing squad. Impressive number's they'd had racked up. Impressive numbers.

Finally, once the creatures were no longer on top of each other, Rick came walking towards them. He didn't look happy, and Cali could only imagine that his and Hershel's conversation hadn't gone well. They had probably gotten their asses kicked off of the farm. That much was for certain. She didn't even want to think what else they might be subjected to if they stayed. Hershel seemed like a fan of Puritan Lit, and Cali didn't want to find herself in the stocks anymore than she was sure Lori wanted to be wearing a scarlet A.

"You want us to start buryin'?" T-Dog asked as Rick got closer.

"We need to have a service, Carol would want that." Andrea added in. Rick just stood there, and stared slightly. He didn't really look quite into it. Not that Cali could blame him, if anything, she was surprised he was even up and around. The Lawman needed sleep, and probably a few shots to go with it.

When Rick still didn't answer, Lori spoke up. "Uh, we'll dig a grave for Sophia. And Annette, and Sean…over by those trees there. And we'll need a truck, to get rid of the rest of the bodies."

Jimmy, the only member of the GGG still willing to talk to Camp Clueless nodded. "I'll go get the keys."

Shane mustered us a shit ton of swagger, and held up his hand. "I'll go get the truck." Before he sauntered away. Cali tried desperately to hide her smirk. _Mother Fucker could've been in an Old Spice commercial. _

"And the rest? That seems like a lot of digging." Jimmy gestured to the group that Cali had lined up herself.

"We bury the ones we love, and burn the rest." Andrea answered. Cali knew that she wasn't exactly an unbiased third party when it came to the older blonde woman, but she couldn't help but think that she sounded a little sociopath-like when she explained their rule to Jimmy.

Lori sighed, and looked around. "Well, let's get to work."

Cali groaned and flexed her hands. Digging, what a bitch.

* * *

"How do you do it?"

Cali looked up at Jimmy, who was looking back at her expectantly. He was standing in the grave he was digging, while the rest of the Camp continued to chip away at that ground. "Do what?"

"All of you. You move on so quickly. You all can seem to pretend this happened weeks ago, instead of only hours. Just….how?" He asked here, eyes looking tired. Very, very tired. "How."

"Oh." Cali tilted her head to the side, and thought about it for a second. "Well…I guess you could say that we share a similar mindset, I suppose."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" The boy asked.

"The needs of the many, over the needs of the few." Cali explained. "Basically, majority rules."

"Yeah…but I was talking more…emotional rather than decision making."

Cali smirked. "In our Camp, being emotional is a decision. Right now, we're all working like crazy right. That's because more of us want to put this awful thing behind us, rather than sit and cry. So, if more people want to move on, that's what the group does. The rest of us suck it up, and we deal with it on our own time. Because we want to keep the majority of the group happy. If you get singled out…you're fucked. Hardcore."

Jimmy frowned, and returned to his digging. "That doesn't exactly sound very…healthy."

"I never said it was healthy, I said it was the Camp Clueless way." Cali answered and handed him a water bottle. "You do what needs to be done. And you never look back."

"What happens when you become something else?" Jimmy asked. "Something hard, and shiny, that don't feel anymore"

"Then…you consider yourself lucky. Congratulations, you're a survivor."

* * *

The silence was back again, but it wasn't the same homicidal air as before. This one was solemn, respectful, and sad. It was the kind of silence that was gifted to the Dead, as their final gift. Their one and only moment of time where everything revolved around them, and they were the only thing on their loved ones minds.

It was a beautiful gift, and Cali was more than happy to give it. It was the least they could do for Sophia, and they were making it up to her right now, the best they could.

But, like any other service, it had to end, and the Camp split apart, piece by piece, and everyone went their separate ways. California only watched as their ties to each other became even more strained. She was sick of that happening. Everyone was always taking steps back, when in reality, they should be huddled together for fucking warmth at this point. Well, that wasn't going to happen this time, she was going to prevent what she could, to the best of her ability.

Cali said her final goodbye, and she stalked off after Dixon.

"Hey! Daryl!" She called once they were far enough from the graves that it wouldn't disturb anyone still there. Dixon didn't even turn around.

"Go 'way Nia. I ain't in th' mood."

"When are you ever?" She rolled her eyes, but ran to catch up with him. Daryl snarled at her, but she just stared passively back at the man. He didn't really scare her that much anymore…well…he scared her substantially less now.

"Leave me th' fuck alone girl." He ordered her, and she shook her head.

"No way."

"Why not?"

"Because, you're gonna try and do that thing where you try and pull away from me. You know?"

"No fuckin' clue whut yer talkin' 'bout."

"Oh, okay. See, here's the thing. We have a trend-"

"-Trend?"

"It's a history term. Not important, shut up and listen. See, we'll get to an area where we're you know, all good. Everything's as nice as it's going to be, and then you get that way with the camp, where everything's good. Then everything goes to Hell in a mother fucking hand basket, and you push everyone away and isolate the shit out of yourself." Cali explained to the man, who looked more and more annoyed with every word that left her mouth. "So, I'm not going to let you do that this time."

"Yer fuckin' full of shit Nia. An' ya fuckin' know it. It ain't like that at all. I jus' don't want to fuckin' deal with anyone right now. It's a fuckin' waste of time tryin' to reason or deal with any of you sons of bitches in the first place, so why th' fuck would I even bother? God, yer all a bunch of mother fuckin' idiots."

"Come one Daryl. Don't give me your shit, alright. Talk to me." Cali knew that she had just committed a cardinal sin by asking this man to talk about his feelings, but right now, she really didn't fucking care. She didn't want this to be something he had sitting in his head too long, or it would fucking fester there like a damn wound, and no one would be able to fix it.

Daryl's eyes shot to her, and she flinched slightly. He barked out a laugh. "Like I'm gonna tell you shit. What the fuck do ya even care?"

She turned on him now, and a twisted little smirk was painted across her face. "Fine. You wanna go back to square one? Let's do it then, we'll go back to square mother fucking one." She threw her hands up in the air, and stalked away from him, and towards the nearest tree. She took a deep breath, and prepped her hands for the pain she was about to feel, and she jumped into the air and grabbed onto a low branch.

"Nia, wha' th' fuck are you doin'?" Daryl looked almost confused by what she was doing, and Cali smirked as she pulled herself up onto the giant plant. She continued her trek up the tree, and had to constantly remind herself not to look down. Or she'd flip a bitch, and it's be all over for her. "Nia! Git yer ass down here!"

Finally, Cali reached about twenty feed into the air, and she sat herself down, and swung her legs over the branch. She tightened her grip, and looked down. "Sorry, what?"

"What in th' fuckin' Hell are you doing?"

"Going back to square one baby."

"You crazy little bitch. Git down here."

"Oh, sorry. I don't' know how." Cali plastered on her best innocent face, and shot it down towards the Hunter. He looked half tempted to shoot her down.

"Git th' fuck down. Now!"

"Scared of heights. Don't want to fall. Blah blah blah." Cali waved a hand, and she tried not to laugh. Oh shit, she'd really done it this time.

Finally, Daryl dropped his bow, and walked over to the tree too. He was either coming to get her, or he was going to fucking hang her from this tree, but she didn't care. She'd won this round, even if she found herself mysteriously shoved right out of this tree.

When Dixon finally arrived to where she was, Cali was sitting with her legs stretched out, and her hands behind her head. "Sup?" She asked.

"Yer fuckin' stupid."

"Square mother fucking one baby."

"I'll push ya."

"Please don't."

"Wha' the fuck did this prove." He snarled. She shrugged.

"I'm not just going to let you shut me out, like I know you were planning to. You've done it to me once before, after we lost Merle, and I'm not going to let myself just let you go. I've worked too damn hard to get this much of you to talk to me, and I'm still trying to translate what the fuck a bunch of grunting means."

"Nia-"

"Just wait, okay. Look, I owe you my life, a hundred times over, I know that. But I'm not here out of obligation, or because I pity your dick ass. I'm here because I want to be. I fucking love you Dixon, did we not just go over this a little bit ago? So, you don't get to push me away anymore. Understand? That's not officially something you're just, not allowed to do."

"Ya think so huh?" His voice was flat, but there was something back in his eyes, it made him seem less homicidal, and more amused. She took it as a good sign.

"Yeah. I do. It's a two way street alright, you work at not pushing me away, and I'll work at not getting us cockblocked every fucking time."

Finally, a smirk, that honestly was more smile than smirk crossed Daryl's face. "'S th' least you could do."

"Well," Cali grinned. "Pretty sure they won't cock block us now."

Daryl's smirk went less kind and more…damn sexy really as he leaned in. Right before his lips grazed hers, he reached his hand up to the branch above and broke off a smaller branch. "An' whut makes ya think I came up here for ya?"

"Ouch. Really, that fucking hurts Dixon." Cali's eyes narrowed, but her smile stayed on her face. Daryl rolled his eyes and looked back down.

"Alrigh', come on ya little dumbass. I ain't spending all night up here. We're hauling ass down now."

* * *

"Daryl please!"

"Nah. Don't think so."

"Oh come on you mother fucker!"

"Name callin' ain't getting ya anywhere, I can tell ya tha'."

"Help me down!" Cali demanded from where she was still stuck in the tree, while Daryl leaned against what looked like a woodshed, and continued to whittle away at the branch he'd grabbed earlier. He only smirked as he looked up. "'S whut yer dumb ass gets fer climbin' up a damn tree. Ya should know better."

"Help me down!"

"'R whut?"

"I will fuckin' make it rain acorns all up in this bitch."

"With yer aim? Fuck ya can try all ya want." He shook his head and returned his attention back to his stick. Cali glared at him from where she was perched….like a goddamned bird once again. He was going to make her sweat this one out, she knew he was. That mother fucker was still mad about the stunt she pulled.

She wasn't though. It had worked, and that was all that mattered. She wasn't gong to let him pull away, not after all the ground he'd covered. With everyone, not just with her. They needed to remain untied, and that meant everyone had to grow the fuck up, get out of junior high, and fucking deal with each other.

Shouldn't be too hard.

"Hey!" Lori's voice called to Daryl, and Cali hid herself into the leaves. This was embarrassing enough, she didn't need the rest of the camp knowing she was here. "Moving to the suburbs?" Daryl barely gave a response, and she came closer. "So uh, Beth's in some kind of catatonic state. And we need Hershel."

"Yeah. So?"

"So…I need you to run into town, and bring them back. Okay?"

"Nah, those two idiots wanted to go window shoppin' that's there own problem. Fetch them yourself." He spat, and Lori just looked shocked.

"Are you kidding me? How could you be so selfish?"

Cali winced, and her body tensed up. Here comes the explosion. Daryl jumped up from where he was sitting, and was inches from Lori. "Listen here Olive Oyl, I was out lookin' fer tha' little girl every day. I took a bullet and an arrow in the process! Don't you be telling me 'bout getting my hands dirty! Ya want those two then fetch 'em yerself. I'm done lookin' fer people."

Lori shook her head, and she began her trek back to the house. Daryl went back to sharpening the stick, and he glanced up once. "Go' anything you wanna add Swee'Pea?"

"That's kind of what I was talking about by you know, pushing people away." Cali sighed. "And Swee'Pea was a boy!"

"If yer buit like one…"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Yeah, hope ya enjoy sleepin' in a tree."

"You wouldn't."

"'S like ya don't know me at all Nia."

* * *

**Alright, this is usually where my thank yous go! But since this is the first chapter after a lengthy break, and we probably don't remember what we wrote anyways, I'll start up the thank yous next round. Just know that I am so happy for each and every review you've given me, and I can't wait to see where the rest of this season takes us! I love you all, and I promise I'll update soon!**

**-Eris :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: I know! I know! It's been freakin' WEEKS. I AM SO SORRY MY LITTLE ZOMBIES! My computer has finally been returned to me, all fixed and working properly once more :D And I promise I didn't forget about you all in the slightest! In fact, the first half of this chapter was copy/pasted from my iPod's notes section. I was working to get this out to you guys from day freakin' one! I'm so sorry!**

**Also, because I had excess time to actually plan and consider how the plot will play out, I do have a few little things. First off, this chapter's gonna start up right at Judge Jury Executioner, because as hard as I tried, I couldn't really fit Cali into the first two episodes that followed the previous chapter. So yes, I have cheated, and I've cheated pretty bad. **

**But, I am hellbent on making it up to you guys! And I will! I started with this chapter, for one, the ending is for the wait! But, I'm also willing to become a OneShot Bitch, seriously, I will pretty much do anything you guys want me to do. There is nothing I won't do. I have to redeem myself!**

**The other thing is, and one of the reason I was so late in the first place, was I had discovered Supernatural, and couldn't fucking believe how amazing it was. I watched every episode over my winter break, and because of that, and by the time you all read this, I'll have a Supernatural fic out :D so if there's any Supernatural fans out there, please, do take a look :D and, of course, SAM FUCKING WINCHESTER FOR LIFE.**

**Anyways, ramblings aside, here you go my friends! A brand spankin' new chapter. An once again, I AM SO FUCKING SORRY!**

**Last thing! Anyone else like how Daryl's got SS on his bike? Really classy xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, and in the following chapter we have language, violence, death, and of course, your make up present!**

Chapter 25: Let The Dead Bury Their Dead, They Will Come Out In Droves

"The fact that we're even still arguing this is stupid. We gotta kill the kid." T-Dog sighed once more, and held up his hands. "If we let him go, he could bring his group back here."

"Really? He's just going to hop on up on his little bum leg and go sprinting back towards his group? He'll never be able to find this place again." Dale shook his head.

Cali continued to watch the exchange between Camp Clueless grow in animosity towards each other. They weren't getting along in the best of days, but now? With Rick's little wayward gimp, things had gotten downright biblical. It was a wreck, but she couldn't exactly deny that she'd stayed out of it. After all, Cali had spent a good hour chewing out Lori's dumb ass after Shane had brought her back from the car accident she'd gotten into. Carl had been terrified, no one had known where Lori was, and Cali had been seething. After all, if a twenty year old college student knew how to raise a kid better than an experienced, expecting mother, then there was something very wrong with that situation.

Things were only getting worse between everyone. Glenn and Maggie were fighting, and no one in the group was willing to see eye to eye. Even now, as they argued about the prisoner that Rick and Shane had brought back _again_, no one was on the same page. Dale wouldn't let them kill him; he couldn't be more against it.

And apparently the kid was against it too, with all the effort he'd put into not dying to far. Cali had seen him once, when Rick and Shane had ripped her iPod out of his ears, and tossed it back to her before he was dragged back into the barn. He was young, probably around her age, and he couldn't even walk on the one leg he had. He hadn't seemed dangerous to her, just scared. And Cali honestly didn't know what the right call here was.

"So, what's the plan then?" Lori asked, looking up towards Rick. "I think we'd all feel a little bit better if we knew what was going on."

"Is there a plan?" Andrea asked, and Glenn nodded.

"Are we keeping him here.

Rick glanced up, and nodded as Daryl returned towards the camp. Cali looked him over, and winced when she saw the state of his hand. Both sets of knuckles busted open, and still bleeding. Rick sighed. "We'll know soon enough."

The Redneck's face was set in a grim line. "Our boy's gotta gang. About thirty of them, with heavy artillery, and they ain't lookin' to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. An' our women're gonna wish they were." The implication of his words echoed through the camp, and everyone tensed up. Cali's stomach clenched. She'd forgotten about that…the men in her group were a rare breed. Most men out there, they would just take what they wanted, and leave the rest of them for dead…if they were lucky. The idea of that…it made her shiver, even in the heat of the day. Rape…who could forget rape.

"What did you do?" Carol asked, looking at Daryl.

"Had a chat." Was his curt reply before heading away from the camp, and back towards his antisocial little area. Cali raked her teeth across her lip before turning her attention back towards Rick and co. Daryl's hand would need wrapped up, but she wanted to figure out what they were going to do with the kid first.

"No one goes near this kid." Rick ordered the group, and Lori walked in front of her husband.

"Rick, what are you going to do?"

"We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're just going to kill him?" Dale asked, and Cali felt herself siding with the elderly peacekeeper. She didn't see why the kid had to just die. And she wasn't too crazy on the whole 'murder' thing. It was basically the death penalty, just with no judge, and a pretty biased jury. Murder by Camp Clueless…she thought that only applied to walkers. She didn't like the way that everyone seemed okay with just…letting this kid die only a few feet away from them. It just…didn't sit well with her.

"It's settled." Rick's voice was deep. "We'll do it today." He left after he spoke, with Dale hot on his tail. Cali shook her head and went towards her and Glenn's tent, where she fished out some of her leftover bandages, and what was left of her burn medicine. Medicine was medicine, and she'd take what she could get when it came to that.

She heard feet behind her, and Cali turned to look at Glenn. She gave him a smile, which he halfheartedly returned, before he tossed his hat on his bed. "So, what do you think?" He asked her, and she sighed.

"About what? You and Maggie?"

"What do you mean, 'me and Maggie'?"

"Well, I can kinda see you're having a little spat…yet you haven't come talk to me about it. I'm not impressed Glenny."

"Well sorry, but it seemed like there were bigger problems than my love life."

"There is never anything more important than your love life." Cali immediately responded. She turned around so that she was comfortable, and looked at him expectantly. "Talk to me."

Glenn frowned, and mumbled "Maggie told me she loved me."

"…That's a bad thing?"

"It is when it makes me choke up when I'm out with Rick. I couldn't-I can't-focus when I know that I have someone who needs me back here. I need…I don't know…it's weird. I'm scared to die now, and I really wasn't before. I don't choke up, you know?" He looked at her, and she nodded. "I can't do that Cali. I can't just choke up! Because if that happens, someone could die, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to be the reason one of us dies-"

"Hey, hey. Calm down for a second okay?" Cali smiled, and grabbed the Asian boy's hand. "You aren't going to kill any of us. And you know what?"

"What?"

"Be in love Glenn. Seriously, it's the least the world could do for you, giving you a chance to be in love. And it's not like anyone else at the camp is trying to deny themselves that."

Glenn frowned, and then waved his hand. "You know what, forget it. I didn't come in here to talk about this anyways. I wanted to know what you think."

"About what?"

"The kid."

Cali frowned now. "What about him?"

"What do you think about him?"

Cali stood up, and gathered up the things she came into the tent for in the first place. She looked at Glenn and shook her head. "I think that he could be us. If we made one wrong move. He could so easily be us."

* * *

Cali shifted the basket full of clothes to her other hip, and continued her trek up to where Dixon was hiding out, his wet laundry making the trip with her. A lot of things had changed, but somehow, Cali kept up doing his washing. She still would've been happy to do Glenn's, but it seemed Maggie had taken that chore off her hands for the time being.

Daryl was sitting down on a stump, and looked up when she got within range. He gave her a nod. "Hey."

"Delivery." She smiled. "From the anti-feminist club."

"'Ppreciate it." He smirked as she walked up next to him and sat down. She sighed and looked down at his clothes.

"I wasn't going to say anything…"

"Then ya prolly shouldn't."

"You got all these shirts…and they all got sleeves." Cali told him. Daryl looked half confused for a second, before he sent his eyes skyward.

"Are ya fuckin'-"

"Last time you wore sleeves, you got shot!"

"Technically, I didn't have no sleeves when I go' shot."

"Yeah, yeah. Not my point." She rolled her eyes. "Don't wear sleeves."

"Don' tell me what to do." He spat back.

"Don't act like a child."

"Don' be mothering me."

Cali cut her eyes to him. "You think I mother you?"

"A lil."

"That's bullshit." She dispelled the idea with a wave of her hand. "Now give me the hand that you busted up on that kid's face." With a raised eyebrow, the hunter handed over his right hand. Cali uncapped the bottle of water, and poured it over the open skin. He hissed, but didn't try to move away. She gently washed the dried blood off, until the hand was clean again. Setting down the water bottle, she reached for the medicine, and Daryl stiffened up a little. Cali glanced up at him. "What?"

"Nuthin'."

"Okay then." She shrugged and grabbed the medicine, bringing the bottle up, she uncapped it and Daryl flinched. Cali stared at him. "Seriously, what?" She was answered with a grunt, then mutter, before Daryl looked away. "Yo. Daryl, in English please."

He looked annoyed, and growled. "Tha' shit stings."

"Seriously?"

"I don't like tha' shit alright?"

"You don't like…plain old medicine?"

"Shu'ddup Nia."

"Look, I really don't care if you want it or not, you really busted up your hand, and I don't want it to get infected with something nasty alright? So just grin and bear it boyo." Cali informed him, and she squeezed a little of the medicine out, and rubbed it over part of Daryl's cuts. Sure enough, the hunter jumped slightly and growled. Cali only shook her head. "If you didn't want to deal with this, maybe you should've put a little less effort into beating the shit out of that kid."

"Wasn't talking."

"Why does it matter where his people are huh? They've already written him off, and if he came back happy and healthy…ish, why would they care where he was?" Cali asked, rubbing more medicine into Daryl's hand. He shook his head.

"It ain't him they want, they want a place. And we ain't got the firepower tuh stand up to them. An' if they show…"

"Who says they'll bring they violence? Maybe Hershel could just send them to one of the other hundred abandoned farms around here. I mean, it's not like there's a shortage of farms around here, why don't they just get another one. Who even says we'd need some kind of standoff. I mean, the kid hasn't done anything has he? Except save Shane's ass when Rick needed him to. I mean, those two looked beat to shit, who knows what those walkers did to them."

Daryl snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Don't much think Walkers were th' problem there." He muttered before shaking his head. "It ain't very likely they gonn' show up an' then walk away. Kid's a danger, and there's no way tha' it'd be safe to let him stay."

"He hasn't done anything though-"

"Whut? Ya wanna sit aroun' and wait fer him to do somthin'? Tha's damn stupid an' ya gotta know that."

"He's human-"

"He's a problem."

Cali grit her teeth. "How could you even say that huh? Shit, not even three months ago we were having this same conversation about your brother! And you know what? You all went back for him! So what's so different now! You all were hell bent on not letting Merle die, so you all travel, into a Walker ridden city to get him! So why doesn't Randall get the same chance!" Her hand gripped his tighter, and he pulled it away. "Well!"

"If we brought Merle back, he sure as fuck wouldn't be bringing in thirty more people with him-"

"Why would they bring in thirty people! That'd just be fucking stupid of them-"

"Those men raped two lil girls right in'front of their Ol' Man!" Daryl snarled, and it was the most emotion he'd shown in a long time. He grabbed the front of Cali's shirt and pulled her closer. "Ya fuckin' understand yet? If they come in, ain't nothing we can do fer you women! They'll take what they fuckin' want Nia, and I ain't willing to roll th' dice…not with that…not with you."

Cali closed her eyes and exhaled a breath she hadn't realized had been trapped in her lungs. Damn it, damn it damn it damn it. "Okay." She whispered, and Daryl let go of her shirt. "Okay. I hear you."

"Ya sure?" He asked, but his voice wasn't as deadly this time. It was back down to normal. She opened her eyes again, and he was staring at her. "I mean it Nia, I don't want ya petitionin' to save this kid. He won't do th' same fer ya."

"I'll back down."

"'M sorry tha' he's gotta die. Really, but I ain't willin' to put ya'll in harm's way on th' off chance the kid ends up being a good guy. That ain't happenin'." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "'S just gotta happen this way-"

Cali grabbed his free hand and nodded. "I know, I get it now. Everyone's just scared, and I guess they have a right to be. Besides, there's too many women here. Me, Maggie, Andrea, Beth, Lori, Carol, Patricia…we're a mess waiting to happen. I understand, and I won't go raising a revolution against this. I get it." Cali shook her head. "The kid is off limits. Got it."

Daryl looked at her for a second, before swearing under his breath, and he pulled his hand from hers, and held out his pinky. Cali looked at it confused for a second, before looking back up to him. "Com'n girl."

"Seriously?"

"I've kept every promise I've made ya girl, I expect ya to do th' same for me." He answered simply. Cali nodded and wrapped her little finger around his. He gave her a small smile. "Promise."

"God, seriously?"

"Com'n girl."

"Fine, I promise."

"Promise whut?"

"Jesus…I'm annoying as shit, aren't I?" She rolled her eyes. "I promise to not try and do anything to let the kid live. I'll go with whatever Rick's decision on the subject is. Happy?"

Daryl shrugged, and he dropped his hand. Cali stood up then, and brought the basket of laundry with her, and started handing it up of the little concrete building he kept all his shit by, careful to avoid the arrows that littered her feet. She hung up the still drying clothes, and just shook her head. "Is it difficult to never have a break? You're always worried about something."

"If I don', who's gonna?"

"I don't know, but you could always take a break or something, you know? You never seem chill." She hung up the last jacket, some frayed old thing with angel wings on the back. She smiled at it. "Even Guardian Angels need a break sometimes dude."

"I'll rest when 'm dead."

"One man can't carry the world on his shoulders."

"Bull shit, Atlas fuckin' did it." Daryl argued. Cali turned to look at him, incredulous look etched on her face. Daryl only smirked at her. "Whut? Figgured since I'm Grade A White Trash, 'M dumb as shit too?"

"No! I just-"

"Everyone loves the Greeks Nia."

* * *

With another heave, Cali had pulled another load of clothes out from where she had been washing them, and sighed. She really did miss washing machines, and she didn't give a mother fucking shit how far back that sent her quest for rights. Hell, she might as well give up on that, this place couldn't be more misogynistic…

_Actually, it's not so woman-hating, as woman protecting._ She decided as she wrung out the clothes she had in the bucket, before she'd pin them on up. This job, like so many others, was completely monotonous, and she found herself just staring into space as she worked. It was her quiet time, and it was slowly becoming her favorite part of the day. It was the only time she was ever really alone.

A rustle, and the snap of a twig brought her attention away from her chore, and over to the woods. She froze, wondering what that could be. Her first thought was Walker, and her when her logic caught up with her, it was an animal most likely, but it was still something she should probably go check out. So, she traded in her laundry for her bat, and started heading over to the edge of the woods. Normally, she wouldn't go on her own, but everyone else was doing something, and if it was a Walker, well, she had a bat. And if it was more than one, well, she could scream.

She didn't have to get to close though, because before she could get there, Carl came walking out of the woods. Cali had never been so relived, and then so angry, so quickly before. "CARL!" She screamed and the boy jumped six feet in the air. "Get over here!"

"What?" He asked when he got close enough. Cali had just enough sense not to hit him.

"What were you doing in the woods?"

"Nothing!"

"Wrong answer boy. Your correct answer is, 'I wasn't in the woods, and you've just got heatstroke again'. Goddamn it boy! Are you trying to give us all heart attacks! You don't go out into the woods by yourself! What the hell was in the woods that's so important!" Cali chastised the boy until she turned blue in the face, and Carl had just enough sense to look ashamed. She squeezed the bridge of her nose, before she looked back at him. "Please, please Carl, can you please just stay in the house like everyone keeps telling you to do?"

Carl mumbled something that might've been a yes, and he looked up at Cali. "Hey, I got a question for you."

"Alright?"

"What's this?" He asked, then grabbed a stick and drew it out in the dirt for her. Cali watched him, and her eyes narrowed when she realized what it was.

"Where'd you see that?" She asked. Carl shrugged.

"Some old graffiti in the woods. What's it mean?"

"It's the sign for the SS. They were Hitler's secret police during the Nazi regime in Germany. Kind of a big deal around here still. A lot of these hicks are Aryan wannabes." Cali smiled and pushed Carl towards the house. "Now, let's go back to the house now, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Alright." Carl sighed, and the two of them began their trek back towards Hershel's house, sassing each other the entire way there. Carl seemed to get back to his old self for a little bit, and it was nice, because that hardly ever happened anymore.

"Nia!"

Cali flinched. Fuck, he sounded pissed, and she couldn't possibly think of a reason why. She'd been good all fucking day, and kept her promise, and kept her nose out of the damn Randall thing. Why could possibly be pissed off? She turned around and saw him coming after her with a purpose. "Yeah?"

"Where the fuck is it!"

"Carl, go on up to the house, okay?" Cali told him, and the kid was more than happy to listen now. He hauled ass faster than a bat out of hell. Daryl finally caught up with her and she looked at him. "Where is what!"

"Knock it off, and jus' give it back."

"Give what back?"

"Mah fuckin' gun Nia! Now!"

"What? Why the hell would I have your gun? Maybe you forgot, but I'm kind of a shitty shot." She reminded him, and rolled her eyes. "Besides, I don't even know where you keep the damn thing. I had actually thought you just never took it off your person."

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "Ya don't have it?"

"No…I mean, why would I take it? That'd be shooting myself in the foot, no pun intended." Cali shook her head. "Honestly, I don't have it though."

Daryl scrubbed a hand over his face. "Then who th' fuck would…" He shook his head. "Fergit it, I musta put it somewhere else then."

"Yeah, no problem." Cali smiled, then looked up at the sky. "It's sunset. Time to go listen to the appeal."

"Fuckin' joy."

* * *

Camp Clueless and the Gang Greene Gang gathered in Hershel's living room in silence, as they waited for Rick to start talking. Cali sat curled up on the pink sofa, away from where Rick was supporting himself, and she saw a lot of unhappy faces around her. Conflicting emotions, and a hell of a lot stony faces. No one seemed to want to be here, and she really couldn't blame a damn one of them. She didn't really want to be here either. Finally, the silence was broken.

"So, how do we do this?" Glenn asked. "Do we just, take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea followed up.

"No, majority rules." Lori answered. Rick sighed and tried to bring them to focus.

"Let-let's just see where everybody stands, and we'll talk through the options."

"Well," Shane drawled. "The way I see it, there's only one way to move forward."

"Killing him." Dale spat. "I mean, why even take a vote, it's clear where the wind blows."

"If anyone wants to spare him, I want to know." Rick responded, looking around the room. Dale sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group." Dale answered. "Probably just me and Glenn."

Cali glanced over at her Asian Amigo, and he looked up at Dale. Glenn gave a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time but-"

"They've got you scared!"

"He's not one of us!" Glenn answered. And that really about summed it up for everyone else involved. Randall wasn't one of them, and that was going to put the noose around his neck. "And…we've…we've lost too many people already."

"What about you? Do you agree with this?" Dale asked Maggie, who looked down before looking back up.

"Couldn't we just continue keeping him prisoner?"

"Jus' another mouth to feed." Daryl answered.

"Could be a lean winter." Hershel spoke up.

"We could ration better." Lori agreed.

"He could be an asset! Give him a chance to prove himself!"

"We could put him to work." Glenn suggested.

"He's not walking around." Rick shut that door before it had even opened.

"We could put an escort on him." Maggie offered her solution.

Shane snorted. "Who'd want to volunteer for that duty?"

"I will!" Dale answered immediately.

"No. I don't want anyone walking around with this guy." Rick basically repeated himself.

"I agree, I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up." Lori sided with her husband.

"Well, we can't exactly put chains around his ankle and sentence him to hard labor." Andrea added. Cali frowned. This was becoming a mess and a half, and they hadn't really gotten where they needed to get. What were they going to do about this kid?

"Alright, say we let him join us. Maybe he's helpful, you know, maybe he's nice. Then we let our guard down and he leaves and comes on back with his thirty men, well, then what?"

"So the answer is to kill him for a crime he may never even attempt?" Dale asked, looking appalled at the group. "If we do this, we're saying that there's no hope. That Rule of Law is dead, that there is now civilization!"

"Oh my God." Shane muttered, and Andrea's eyes went wide.

"Could you drive him further out?" Hershel asked. "Leave him out there like you planned?"

"You barely made it back this time." Lori shook her head. "You could find Walkers, you could break down, you could get lost-"

"Could get ambushed." Daryl supplied.

"They're right, we should not risk our own people." Glenn agreed. Dale looked around, and finally his eyes landed on Cali.

"What about you California? You've been uncharacteristically quiet since this whole thing began." Cali swallowed her pain before she answered.

"The risk outweighs the benefit…I'm sorry." She looked down so she wouldn't have to see the disappointment in the older man's eyes.

"How would you do it?" Patricia asked. "Would he suffer?"

"We could hang him," Shane suggested. "Snap his neck."

"Yeah, I thought about that." Rick nodded. "Figured it'd be more humane to just shoot him." Cali shook her head.

"No, that's painful, scary, and a waste of ammo. Look, I have a shit ton of painkillers. How about you just mix him up a cocktail? He goes to sleep, and just doesn't wake up. You don't even have to tell him, just give him water bottle." She explained. "No pain, no fear, just sleep."

"Sure, but whut happen's when yer insomnia plagued ass can't fuckin' sleep. Then yer out an ace in th' hole." Daryl argued.

"Not to mention that painkillers might be more valuable than the one bullet." Shane argued. "How many pills would it take to kill him?"

"'Bout twenty." Daryl answered.

"Exactly. That's too much of a good thing right there." Shane argued. "I think we're just gonna have to shoot him."

"Well…what do we do with the body?" T-Dogs asked.

"You're talking about this like it's already decided!"

"You been talkin' all day, just goin' in circles, ya wanna go in circles again?" Daryl asked, pushing off the wall he was leaning on. Cali pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes. God, this was going on much too long. The kid was dead, why were they stretching it out like this?

"This is a young man's life! And it is worth more than a five minute conversation!" Dale spat back in his face. "Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him, and now look. He's been tortured, he's going to be executed…how are we any better than those people we're so afraid of?"

Damn Dale and his words. Cali's heart was screaming at her to side with Dale, that he was right, and that this could easily be overruled. But her head was telling her no, that'd be a damn fool thing to do, and she just wasn't able to handle this anymore. She was going to lose it, if she didn't do something soon.

"We all know what needs to be done." Shane declared.

Then they all just started screaming at each other at that point, and Cali couldn't take it anymore, she stood up, and faced them all. "Look, everyone just knock this shit off. The kids dead, it's done. No matter what any of us say, it's what we all want. Dale's right, that does make us just like those other people, but hell. They're obviously thriving. It's time to let of go of what we thought we knew, and accept what we know now. It's Cowboys and Indians again, and the Indians never did get along with neighboring tribes alright? Let's…let's just fucking be done with it. Please." She shook her head, and headed for the door. She had cast her vote, and she was just done. So fucking done.

* * *

She sat far away, in Daryl's little hideaway. She dug through his shit until she found what she was looking for, a squished pack of stale cigarettes, and a lighter. Praise God for that man. She pulled one out and stuck it in her mouth, and she flicked the lighter until the flame caught, and she brought it to the smoke. Cali took a deep breath, and tried to pretend she was home again.

"Didn't peg ya as a smoker."

Cali jumped slightly. "Fuck you're quiet." She mumbled. "By the way, I'm barrowing a smoke."

"I'll be pissed at ya tomorrow." He waved his hand, and plopped down next to her. She took a few more drags before she passed it to him. She blew out her smoke and watched it float towards the sky. Daryl took a drag himself, and blew out, but he was able to blow out a perfect smoke ring. Cali gave a small smile.

"Now, that was damn impressive."

"Years a' practice kid."

"So," Cali reached for the stick. "They kill him yet?"

"Naw, not yet. Gonn' wait till later. When it's dark I guess. Gonna go with." He answered.

"Why you?"

"In case the kid flips or something, he's already fuckin' terrified of me. Dunno." Daryl grabbed the smoke and put it back in his mouth. "Jus' gonna do it fast and quick, and be done with the damn thing. I'm getting sick of this."

"Yeah, me too." She nodded. "We're not who we were anymore, are we?"

"Naw…" Daryl answered. "For better or worse, this is who we are now."

"Oh yeah, and what is that?" Cali asked, grabbing the smoke from him. Daryl smirked at the girl again.

"Survivors Nia. We survivin'." He stood up, and brushed himself off. "Gotta go take care of th' kid. I'll be back soon."

"Gotta say, it's kinda weird." Cali mentioned. Daryl glanced at her.

"Whut?"

"Watchin' a pair of wings fly off to murder some kid." She answered. "Ironic I guess." Daryl looked at her for a second, before kneeling back down next to her, and pulling her towards him. His mouth was on hers, and it burned like fire, and tasted like smoke. He pressed against her bruising force, and she was almost frozen in surprise. He pulled away from her, and pressed another kiss against her forehead.

"Every angel's got a sin Nia, don't hate me fer this one." He ordered before he got up and headed back towards the barn. Cali brought a hand up to her lips, and smiled.

_Mother fucker stole my smoke._

* * *

"We're going to be keeping him prisoner for now." Rick announced as he walked back up to the group that sat around the fire. Cali's jaw was on the ground. After that, after all of that…and they decided to keep him prisoner a little while longer? What the hell?

Actually, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all, Cali hadn't really felt right about killing the kid anyways, and maybe with some more time, well, they could find something else for the kid to do. Rather than sit chained up like a dog in a dark musty barn. He'd probably prove his worth or something, but honestly, all of that didn't matter, because they needed to close their eyes and calm down. Deep breath and walk away from the situation. It was time to heal.

"I'm going to go find Dale." Andrea smiled and got up from around the fire where they all sat. Cali smiled too as she gazed into the flames. Some humanity won out, and good fucking thing too.

Then the screaming started.

Everyone scrambled, and no one really knew what was going on. Cali jumped up with the rest of them and followed Rick and his sheep, bat in hand. They were running in the dark, and not really sure where they were going.

"Hey! Over here!" Daryl's voice cut through the night. Cali's heart stopped. Shit…no, it wasn't him, couldn't be him who got hurt, right? "Help!"

Finally they zeroed in on Daryl's screaming, and Cali could smell blood. It disgusted her how she was able to identify that now, without a shadow of a doubt. They ran in a little closer, and she saw Dale, lying on his back while blood sprayed the area around him, his stomach ripped open, and intestines threatening to fall out if he so much as inhaled all the way. The man was gasping and choking, and the pain was palpable from where she was standing. Cali took a step back, and turned around to puke. The little she'd managed to eat today came flying up for an encore performance. _Oh God, Dale._

"You'll have to do the operation here!" Rick ordered Hershel, but the older man merely grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Camp Clueless erupted into a fit of tears and screaming, Cali being no exception. Tears bubbled up around her eyes, and it took everything she had not to let them fall. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. Not this time.

Dale continued to moan and choke, and finally, Andrea said what they were all thinking. "He's suffering." She sobbed. "Do something!"

Rick stood tall again; ready to take this burden once more. He pulled out his gun and cocked it, and he took Dale in his sights this time and he aimed. But this time, pulling the trigger was just too damn hard. Sophia had been dead, Dale was still human. And Rick was his friend, and he wanted to protect him, not kill him. Dale continued to suffer while Rick tried to get his finger to pull the trigger.

Cali watched as Daryl walked up to Rick, and took the gun. He only gave a nod before he knelt down, and aimed the gun at Dale's head once more. "I'm sorry brother."

The shot that Cali had been waiting all night to hear rang out, and the painful gasping was silenced.

* * *

They sat in the same place they had only hours earlier, but this time, there was no smoking, no banter, and barely any breathing. The two of them just sat there, trying to make sense of the last two hours. Cali was doing what she could, but her brain could only supply bits and pieces that barely made any sense.

Walker.

Dale.

Pain.

Blood.

Dead.

Shot.

Daryl.

She shook her head, and Daryl dropped his into his hands. "Fuck." He hissed into the silence, and Cali had to agree with him. Just…fuck.

"Everything's fucked."

"Goddamn it. Why th' fuck did it have to be him?" Daryl snarled. "The only fucking decent person we had left, and he's the one who gets fucking killed.

"You know you'll just drive yourself crazy asking those questions right?" Cali spoke softly, and Daryl didn't answer. He just shook his head.

"Fuckin' shit." He lifted his head, and stared into the darkenss. "I didn't wanna fuckin' shoot him."

"You did the right thing you know." She nodded. "He was hurting, and he was hurting bad."

"Still, I didn't want to fucking kill him."

Cali reached over then, and grabbed his shirt, the exact same way that he did to her. "You fucking listen to me. You did not kill Dale. You saved Dale from dying a horrible, painful death caused by some Godforsaken Walker that stumbled its way onto the farm alright? You did not kill that man, and let's get this straight now, you saved Dale. You did what no one else was brave enough to do. Understand?"

Daryl only glared at her, and Cali felt her hackles rising. She reached out with her other hand and wound her fingers through Daryl's hair and pulled him towards her. His mouth met hers, and hands soon followed. She was knocked onto her back by the man, who slid his arms under her to keep her off the ground. They weren't talking anymore, they weren't thinking anymore. They were just going to feel their way through this, because right now, that's what they both needed.

After all, one man can't carry the world on his shoulders.

**Thank yous!:**

**Lucy Freebird: Lucy! Guess what! You know that thing you've been pushing for? Next chapter, for sure :D it would have been this one, but I'll be honest, it's already fifteen pages in word, and I have school tomorrow xD hope you enjoyed it!**

**Doll-Fin-Chick: That's the thing with Cali, she's always either on the smart end of the spectrum, or the stupid end of the spectrum.**

**ISolemnlySwearIAmUpToNoGood: Seriously, the Carol thing hasn't toned down, and I'll be honest, she's pissing me off more than Andrea is at this point. Carol just needs to back off of Daryl, and there won't be any problems…Cali's not afraid to fight a dead girl's mom. **

**LillianaKay2011: It seemed like the thing to do at the time! Thanks for reviewing :DD**

**Kathleensmiles: Well! If it isn't my favorite review bomber! Yes! I would totally make it rain acorns if I was trapped in a tree. No question about it. And I don't know girl…Carol seems to be makin' her moves lately….**

**Acoustix: I know it was about fucking time I updated! Then I took for fucking ever to do it again! I'm so sorry, I had to get my computer back, and I literally just got it back two days ago. Then I had to crank out this mother fucker, and I honestly don't feel like it's the best I've ever spat out :/**

**Bloodrope: This damn computer has been a bigger pain in my ass then you could believe. I'm soo sorry this took for fucking ever! And yes, Cali would love to climb down the tree…however, that would involve looking down, and looking down means acknowledging that she's up high. Not a Cali thing xD**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: Oh don't lie, you know you love the storm cussing uping XD**

**Night-Weaver369: Yes! I have added Pride to their cockblocking list! And that tension release scene you wanted. It's coming right up, and this time, I might not even cock block them ;) and I'll be honest! At this point, I like Andrea more than I like Carol…**

**: Awh! Thank you! And yeah, the very idea of Daryl/Carol is enough for me to give Cali some kind of mental breakdown where she beats the shit out of Carol. I'm not above beating up a dead girl's mom…I'm really not. And believe you me, I wish Cali was in the show too xD**

**TripleLLL: Who doesn't love the hardcore swearing xD and hell yeah! If I was in the middle of the end of the world, I'd probably be dropping fuck every other word. It would just help me feel better, is all. Thanks for the wishes! And Hugs right back to you! and yes, the plan is to go back to Landing Feet First once I finish with this season!**

**Nelle07: I'm happy you're back too! And I have to agree, I think they should add Cali!**

**Viktorskrumpet: Ah Vicky! Thank you so much for the kind words, and the encouragement during the off season, so to speak. I hope the humor and darkness in this chapter was balanced out correctly. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter right now, so I'd love to have your feedback again!**

**Anea the Morwinyon: Ah thank you so much! I'm glad the chapter could make your day :D**

**Willow: I'm sure you've just been raging your ass off huh xP I'm so so so sorry! And I hope this makes it up to you! and I feel like, after this long, Cali's supposed to nag the shit out of Daryl, to get him to talk about how he's feeling, and, after this long, it's okay for Daryl to talk about his feelings, just a little, with the girl. Those two deserve that right?**

**And Jimmy! D: I miss Jimmy **

**NekoEars: XD I'm glad you liked that part, because that was seriously my favorite line from the last chapter, and I use it daily now xD Nothing like mustering up a shit ton of swagger!**

**Summerlover-1: You rock too! Thanks for reading! :D**

**Take Life's Chances: Awh, I loved Jimmy too :/ I'm very upset by what happened to him. It's was gruesome, and apparently the actor that played Jimmy was actually terrified in that scene! But I don't blame him. It was scary as all hell. And healthy relationships are for squares ;)**

**Batman: I know…I'm a terrible tease, and I truly hope that you don't hate me!**

**Willow the Collie: Willow! :D I'm glad to see you're back! Oh! I know who you're talking about! It's freaking crazy!**

**The-Flaming-Jackalope: Thank you for understanding about the computer problem xD you're the only one that did! And I so agree with you! I'm pissed! THEY DROPPED A WALKER ON HIS ASS! WHAT THE FUCK! I liked Randall too…Goddamn Walking Dead…killing everyone I care about. **

**Thanks for understanding! And I was just glad Daryl wore sleeves and didn't fucking get shot.**

**Caroline: I'm back :DDDD**

**Biffy: I know! I'm so sorry xD really I am! I hope this makes it up to you!**

**Eloquent Dreams: Yeah, their relationship was definitely gradual, even if there was something there that whole time :D Thanks for the review!**

**Now remember my little zombies, keep the hate mail classy xD and if any of you like Supernatural, please check out my new fic, and maybe drop a line! :D**

**I love you all!**

**-Eris**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: :D Ah! I'm so glad you all forgave me! You have to understand how much I appreciate that :DD I know how freaking awful it is when you like a fic, and the author just won't update their shit. (Cough cough TOO MANY TO CLEVERLY LIST HERE, cough). But I'm back, and I'm ready to make this shit work again :DD **

**Oh yeah, and sex. I owe you guys sex. Aduh. Honestly it seemed like the least I could do for you…but try to remember, Smut really is not my strong point. Like not even close…**

**Ah well. So, who misses The Walking Dead yet?**

**Yeah…me too :/**

**Ahem. More additions to Eris' Strikingly Similarities Between Season Two and LFF:**

**Massive moral debate about Death penalty: Randall is Season Two, Merle in LFF.**

**Glenn saving Daryl's ass at the last second: Walker!Randall vs. Private Evans.**

**Come on AMC, where are you getting this shit? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD, or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and in this chapter there is swearing (Cali), death (Fuckin' Shane) and sex. (Fucking Daryl ;D). So enjoy! And don't sue me. And the first section is just pretty much a massive pile of smut, so if you're not age appropriate or whatever, just skip on to the first line break. You won't miss anything, I promise. **

Chapter 26: The Sun Goes Down, The Stars Come Out, And All That Counts Is Here And Now

God, she couldn't keep up. Hands were replaced with skin, which was replaced by lips so quickly she wasn't even quite sure what was going on. One second, they were trying to hash out what had happened, and they next, her back was pressed against the ground and Daryl was on top of her.

Oh well…they were never really good at talking anyways.

Finally, her brain seemed to fight its way through the haze of pleasure and pain as she at least figured out where everything was. One hand was still wound in Daryl's hair; the other had attached itself to his belt loop, and was intending to stay there. Her mouth was pressed against Daryl's while their tongues battled it out for dominance, and his hands, God, his hands were everywhere, leaving an insufferable line of heat that scorched her skin, but left her shivering.

Not fair, now that she was able to control her body once more, she decided to really start participating. She slid her leg between Daryl's and she felt him freeze for a second, and he hissed out a _fuck_. Cali removed her hand from his head, leaving his hair six kinds of fucked up, but right then, with him above her, eyes flashing, hair fucked and panting slightly, well shit. He'd never fucking looked better. He caught her eyes, and she only smirked and pulled his mouth back to hers, and slowly trailed her hands down his chest. He twitched under her hand, and he growled. Daryl hiked up on of her legs, and slowly slid his hand up her thigh and brought it up to squeeze her ass. Cali squeaked and arched into the hunter, who growled his response.

Cali pulled her hand from his hip, and slid both of them under his shirt. Her fingertips traced over lean muscle, bone and scars. God, there were so many scars, spaced almost evenly apart, they differed in length. She couldn't believe it. Daryl froze above her, and Cali immediately stopped moving. "Sorry." She murmured, trying to remember how to talk. Daryl only shook his head.

"Naw…'s fine." He mumbled, and shook his head again.

"…You sure?"

"Ya gonna ruin this by talkin'?" He asked, and Cali just rolled her eyes and tugged on his shirt.

"You gonna keep acting like this is prom night? Or are you gonna man up and _finally _take me home?" She spat back. Daryl's smirk turned downright evil as he got up, and pulled Cali up with him, then tossed her over his shoulder. She'd admit that threw her, she hadn't been expecting that, not even close. She tried to get off, but he'd wrapped his arm around her knees, and she was unable to move. "You gotta be fucking kidding me!" She yelled at him. Daryl just ignored her, and made his way into his tent. He dropped Cali onto his cot, his hands wrapped in her tank top, and he pulled the fabric off her body.

She let him, and shivered against the contrast between her skin, and the cold of the air, something she'd never expected in Georgia. He was back on top of her then, hands trailing down her sides, the calloused skin scraped against hers in a way she'd never experienced before. Any guy she'd been with hadn't been so…rough. Everything about Daryl was rough, body, words, voice, reasoning. She wasn't used to that, in the slightest, and her body craved the way it made her feel.

Her hands reached his shirt, and she didn't even wait to see how he reacted. She slid the fabric off his body slowly, pausing only to pull it over his head and she tossed it into the surrounding area before wrapping her arms around him again and pulling him closer to her. He obliged, and brought himself down on top of her, their jeans sliding against each other as flesh pressed against flesh and Cali could feel his heartbeat. The feeling of it under her palm shot a shock of desire right through her, she shuddered under him. There was something almost…sensual about a beating heart these days. Oh fuck, she was done waiting for this, it needed to happen soon. Between the heartbeat, and the friction between the jeans right now, and the plain fact that this was Daryl. It was him, the guy who'd saved her life, and looked out for her since, even though he'd never asked for anything from her in return. "Daryl." Her voice was barely a whisper, but his eyes opened and he looked down at her. "Now. Please." He barely nodded as he moved his lips from her mouth, to down her neck. He created a path down to her bellybutton, tongue following lips every time. She moaned and arched into the hunter, who only held her hips down with his hand as his tongue reached her waistband. He popped the button on her jeans and helped her slide out of them.

For a fleeting second, Cali felt heat flood her face, and she wondered why she was embarrassed. If Daryl didn't want this, he sure as fuck wouldn't be doing anything. He wasn't an emotion first kind of guy. Once the jeans joined their shirts in oblivion, he brought his mouth back up to hers, his hands traveled up her arms and pinned her there. Cali wrapped one of her legs around his hip and he twitched, and a low gravelly moan followed him. Cali smirked into their kiss, and fought on of her arms free, which was brought between their two bodies and she popped the button on Daryl's jeans, and slid them off until he was free of the denim. He shivered for a second before sliding his hands behind Cali's back and unclasping her bra.

Suddenly, the Hunter froze. He drew his hand away from her bra, and pushed his hair out of his face. Cali looked up at him confused. "Uh…you okay?"

"Whut's yer las' name?"

Cali balked. "Seriously?"

He looked to his left and color slightly tinted his face. "Jus' whut yer las' name."

"You're freakin' adorable, you know that right."

"Go'ddamn it, Nia. Jus' fuckin' tell me."

She leaned up and kissed him again, long and slow, with bodies pressed to each other and need growing. "My name's California Adams. And it's nice to meet you."

Daryl's hands went back to work, first disregarding her bra, it was tossed right over his head, and his mouth went straight to new exposed skin. He attached his mouth right above her heart, and sucked until he knew there'd be a mark, and Cali moaned and bucked her hips against his. He growled above her once more, and when he spoke again, his voice was strained. "Ya sure?"

"Have been since the Goddamn tree." She answered with a smile, sliding her hands over his scarred body as he slid her underwear down her legs. Cali shivered with the heat of his body gone, and she reached her hand out towards him. His fingers laced with hers as he got back on top of her, and she wrapped her legs around him as he entered her. She whimpered before she'd been able to stop the sound from leaving her mouth, and Daryl, in an uncharacteristic moment, simply pressed his lips against her forehead before moving.

Her grip on his hand tightened, and she bit her lip. Just like with everything he did, Daryl was rough…but it was different…she could feel everything. Her senses went into overdrive, and she could just fucking feel everything. The cold breaking over her body, the sweat that was slowly building, and the layers of sensation that were just building on each other. But it was more than that too, it was fucking pain, and sorrow, and desperation for something to work, something to end well. Just something that would fucking make a difference in their progressively shittier lives.

Good, they needed something good.

Daryl shifted slightly, and Cali let out a long list of words that she would've been charged double for in the Swear Jar. Her other hand found its way to Daryl's shoulders, and she dug her nails into the skin, and she listened as Daryl let out a moan himself. She only held on tighter as the hunter buried his face in her neck, mouth attaching itself onto her pulse point. With all of this attacking her at once, it didn't surprise her when the rubber band that had been tightening inside of her since he'd first thrown her on the ground snapped suddenly, and her spine went ridged, and every color she'd ever known, and a few she fucking hadn't, exploded behind her eyes and she barely managed to choke out a moan. While she rode it out, above her there was a hitch in breathing, and Daryl fell on top of her, and they were a sweaty mass of flesh and heartbeats. He gathered enough energy to get off of her, and roll to the side, both their hands still interlocked as they tried to catch their breath. It was only after a couple minutes that Cali realized that her back hurt, and her hair was a mess, and she was sure she was marked up like nobody's business. But when she managed to open her eyes, and glance over at Daryl, who glanced back at her out of the corner of his eyes, a satisfied little smirk on his face, she decided she didn't care anymore. Whatever horrible things the world wanted to throw at her, she'd be okay. Cali smiled back and shook her head.

"Well, Goddamn Mr. Dixon."

"Yer welcome Miss Adams."

"What? I don't get a thank you?"

"'Member whut I told ya? Yer cuter when ya ain't talkin'."

* * *

Daryl woke up an hour before the sun, and looked down at the girl sleeping on his chest, and he realized that he'd never seen Nia sleeping. Sure, he knew she did, but every time they had crossed paths, he'd never seen it. Way back fuckin' when the Walkers attacked the campsite, and he'd gotten her drunk, he was pretty sure he'd been asleep before she had, and when he'd left for watch, she'd stared at him all bleary eyed. Back on the highway, he'd been asleep before her, and she'd woken up before him. Daryl had never fucking seen this girl sleep.

She looked fuckin' young when she was, almost peaceful. The fear that was deeply etched into her features was gone, and she just looked…better. Happier. She looked like she must've looked before the Walkers ruined everyone's lives.

Much cuter when she wasn't talkin'.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, listening. He could hear one or two voices floating over the silence of the morning, which told him that it was about time to get his ass out of bed. They had another funeral today, for the man he fuckin' shot.

Daryl shook his head and sighed. He lifted up his hand and flicked Nia's forehead. She grumbled somethin' particularly nasty and groggily lifted her head. "Backwoods bastard." She growled and brought her hand up to her forehead. "What the hell? Are we five Daryl?"

"Time tuh get up."

"…Couldn't just say that?"

Daryl tilted his head to the side. "Where's th' fun in that?"

Nia let out another string of curses that probably would've impressed even Merle and she sat up, looking around his tent. "Fuck…where are my clothes."

Daryl lifted up a finger and spun it around once. "'Round there."

"Serious?" She asked before dropping her head in her hand. "God it's early, why the hell am I up so early? Is something on fire?"

"Funeral." He answered. Whatever sleep was left in her system dispelled instantly and her face fell.

"So, that wasn't just a bad dream?" She asked, frowning.

"'Fraid not." He answered and sat up himself. She looked back at him, eyes lingering on his chest where scar after scar painted themselves across his skin. She looked up at him then, obvious question in her eyes. Instead, Daryl chose to ignore it, and he fixed his gaze out the window. "Better git goin'." He told her, and Nia only sighed and tossed part of the blanket to the side so she could stand up.

She threw on her clothes, and Daryl watched as she spent an extra-long time trying to find her bra, before she turned back to him. "You coming?" He nodded and threw on some clothes himself, before grabbing the crossbow and walking towards the entrance to the tent. "Hey." She told him as he walked past her. "It's going to be okay. You know that right?" She shivered as the wind scraped across her bare arms. He grabbed an old flannel that he was just going to cut up for rags, and shoved it into her arms.

Daryl gave half a nod, and quickly pressed a kiss against her forehead. He didn't care if it was a blatant lie; he just wanted to hear it. Just once.

* * *

"Dale could get under your skin. He got under mine, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare, and brave." Rick spoke over the freshly turned dirt of the newest grave under the big tree, his voice giving way to his emotions. Cali closed her eyes and tried to keep her thoughts on anything else but crying. It felt too real now, everything did. Dale was gone, and she wasn't ready to accept that.

Dale was…he was there. He was important to her, he was the one who always had a reassuring word, or a knowing look, or an understanding for a love of books that she really couldn't find in anyone else here. Dale had been the one to tell her about the stars, he'd been the one to remind her why she cast her lot in with survival. Dale had been there to give her an unnecessary sex talk, and to smile, and he was their humanity. And Dale had been the one to tell her, that night on top of the RV, that it was still okay to love. That it would be okay to depend on Daryl the way that she needed to. She needed him.

They needed him to be there to remind them how to be moral, because as they'd shown, they couldn't do it without him. They just couldn't. The new fear was outweighing logic and compassion and she couldn't live without him. She needed him there to take care of the fissures that cracked between every member of this group at any given time.

The Peacekeeper.

"He said this group was broken," Rick continued, and Cali checked back into where she was. Next to her, Glenn shook his head and she reached for his hand. He squeezed it, and they held onto each other. Dale had taken care of them, the younger folks, making sure their voices had been heard, and they got their say. Dale had made them be taken seriously. "So the best way to honor him would be to unbreak it. To put aside our differences and come together. To stop feeling sorry for ourselves. To take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We're not broken, we're going to prove him wrong. From now on, we do it his way. That is how we honor Dale." Rick finished speaking, and Cali closed her eyes again.

_Seems a little late for that_, her mind provided, but she ignored it. At least they would be doing something to honor Dale, no matter how late it was, he'd appreciate the thought. And if Randall got out of this ordeal alive, then she knew that Dale would consider everything even, and they could get back to trying to mend back together again, to be the group they were for that one night in the CDC, where they were happy, and everything was right.

Rick called over Andrea, Shane, Daryl and T-Dog, and the rest of Camp Clueless, and the Gang Greene Gang was sent back over towards the house. Glenn looked Cali over really well, and shook his head. "Really?"

"What?" She muttered, pink tint crossing her cheeks.

"Did you actually…"

"Yeah…I finally beat the cock block monster" she answered, tugging on the sleeve to the shirt she was wearing. "How did you…"

"Dude. I just know." Glenn snorted, and poked her neck. "Besides, I think he's trying to get you busted."

"Shuddup." She muttered, and rolled her eyes. "What's it matter anyways."

"Well…T-Dog owes me half a magazine." Glenn admitted and Cali stopped walking.

"_What?_"

"Yeah, we've had a bet going. T-Dog bet that Randall would die before you and Daryl finally succumbed to the sexual tension. And I won that bet." Glenn's grin faltered when he saw the angry look on Cali's face. "Oh come on! You've never bet on your friends before?"

"I kind of want to castrate you."

"Well shit…"

"But, since Maggie likes you. I won't. But that's a favor to Maggie, not you. Got it?" Cali spat, but then Glenn's face closed off again, and Cali's anger died away quickly. "Did you two talk yet?"

"No." Glenn answered as they got closer to their camp. Cali ducked inside their tent, and Glenn joined her. She zipped up the entrance, and turned back towards him.

"Why not?"

"Because, everything's just too…" Glenn gestured with his hands. "Fuck, I don't know what to do Cali. I want Maggie, but I don't want to have to worry about myself like that anymore. I don't want to have to be worried about dying."

"You know," Cali started as she tore through her bag for a T shirt. She'd worn through her clothes pretty quickly, and Maggie had been nice enough to give her some of her old stuff that didn't fit. "Caring about if you die or not should be something that you are worried about. If you don't, then you're kind of just a robot…and then you end up like Shane." Cali swapped out her shirts, then looked back at Glenn. "You don't want to be like Shane." She dug through her bag again to find that dust covered make up bag.

"I'm not like Shane."

"Yeah, and you need to stay that way. Caring about life and death is a good step in that direction."

"But-"

"Come on Glenn." Cali pleaded with him. "There is seriously little to no good left in the world. You gotta take what you can get. And the universe hands you Maggie. On a mother fucking horse. Take the hand you've been dealt man. It's not a bad one."

* * *

Life before Walkers, life after walkers, it didn't really matter. Moving was a god-awful task that Cali hated more than anything else on the planet. More than long car rides, insomnia and Georgian heat put together. Moving was designed to make close friends greatest enemies.

And that was true as hell, because Glenn had definitely just whipped her right across the face with a tent rod. "AWH FUCK MY MOTHER FUCKING DUCK!" Cali cried as the area immediately starting stinging, and her eye watered.

"Sorry!"

"You chink ass-"

"Cali!" Lori's voice traveled over the rest. "Don't you think for one second I even remotely forgot about this Swear Jar!"

Cali glared over at the Mother Monster, and turned back to Glenn. "How about you deal with this, and I'll go start hauling shit into Hershel's house. Sounds much safer, to my health, and the health of our friendship."

Glenn rolled his eyes, and gestured towards the house with his free hand, while the other was still trying to manipulate the rods in the ground. Cali tossed as many bags as she could on her shoulder, and joined up with the migration to the Greene House.

* * *

Cali had long since dumped her bags in some corner of some room, and she'd probably never find them again, now she was just sitting on the railing of the porch, watching the rest of Camp Clueless travel around like headless chickens. They would scurry every which way as things got back to normal and chores started up again. She swung her feet and glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds in the distance, and the heat was reaching near muggy, but the winds only got steadier. Cali didn't know much, but being a Wyomingite, she knew the makings of a good storm when she saw it, and there was a doozy of a mother fucker headed there way.

"Hey. Nia." Daryl spoke as he walked up next to her, she looked away from the sky to nod, then back up.

"Yeah?"

"Ya sure ya ain' got my gun?"

"Dude. I'm sure. I honestly have no reason to take it." She explained again. "You seriously lost it?"

"Don' fuckin' know how I could. Kept the damn thing in Merle's bag on th' bike. Only other person tha's been 'round my shit's you."

"I don't have it. Hell, if you can find my shit, I give you full permission to go through it." Cali gestured back at the house. Daryl shrugged leaned up against the railing. Lori came walking out of the house then, and she zeroed in on Cali. The younger woman immediately held up her hands. "Look, I seriously don't have any more cash for you."

"That's not why I'm here. Rick needs someone to go give water to the boy in the barn, and I was wondering if you'd do it."

Cali shrugged. "Sure, no problem." She hopped off the railing and accepted the water bottle from Lori's hands, and the elder woman went back into the house.

"Ya ain't doin' that." Daryl spoke as soon as Lori was gone. Cali lifted an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Don' trust that kid."

"He's like handcuffed, and weak and broken, and still reeling from an ass kicking _you _gave him. I think It'll be okay." Cali rolled her eyes and started walking off towards Randall. "Besides, if he dies, then it won't be fair to Dale."

* * *

Cali unlocked the door to get inside, and she slowly opened the door. The kid was hunched over in a corner, and he stilled when he heard the door open. He let out a whimper, and Cali's heart broke. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She kept her voice even and steady, the way one would deal with a spooked horse. "Okay? I'm not going to hurt you."

He gave a muffled answer, and Cali winced. Shit, they'd duct taped him up. So she was going to have to be the bitch to rip off the tape, then smack it right back on. Fantastic. Cali walked up to Randall slowly, so he could hear every step. Once she knelt down in front of him, she spoke again. "I'm going to rip off the tape okay, I've got some water for you." He gave her a nod, and she got a good grip on the tape, before she mentally counted to three, and ripped it right off of the guy. He moaned and swore, and shook his head.

"Damn it. That hurt."

"Could've hurt worse." She told him. "How you feeling?"

"Like I've been tied up and beat to all hell." He answered, and Cali smirked.

"Can't be too bad if you're up and willing to sass me."

"Yeah well, if I ain't got my humor, what do I have?" He answered. He didn't seem to be afraid of her, but then again, Cali was a woman, and there hadn't been a woman beating on him since he got here.

"Here," she opened up the water bottle, and looked back at Randall. "Open your mouth and lean back a bit, I'll get you some water."

"You gonna drown me?"

"I'd need more water if I was going to do that. Only got one water bottle."

"There drugs in the water bottle?"

"What makes you ask that?" She asked. He shrugged slightly.

"Your people don't talk very quiet." He answered, and Cali had to give him that one. Camp Clueless weren't exactly stealthy in the way they discussed everything.

"Yeah well those drugs are my drugs, and there's no way I'm handing over the amount it would take to kill you. That'd last me weeks."

"So you some kind of dealer?"

"Something like that." Cali smiled, now lean your head back, and just tap your foot when you want a break. That way, I don't drown you."

Slowly, the manage to get through the bottle, but Randall never relaxed. If anything, he just got tenser and tenser the more minutes that passed by. Cali screwed the cap on the bottle, and got up to retrieve the duct tape that was hanging over on the wall a few feet away. She grabbed the roll, and pulled some off, which caused the kid to jump.

"Wait!"

"Yeah?" She asked, ripping the piece off with her teeth, before putting the rest of it back.

"They still gonna kill me?" He asked. Cali frowned. She knew they were fixing to send him off like they had planned the first time, but she didn't know if he was supposed to know that. So, Cali did what every woman did best. She modified the truth to fit her situation.

"I don't know. But, if you ask me, the odds are in your favor man."

"You'd bet on me then huh?"

"Yeah."

"You the gambling type?"

"More and more every day." She answered, and smoothed the piece of tape over Randall's mouth. "Good luck kid. I'm rooting for you." She closed the door and grabbed the lock, and secured it back into place.

* * *

After she filled up the empty water bottle, Cali started back towards the house, but paused when she saw Daryl walking away from Rick, who was talking to Shane, who both looked like they were in some weird Logo version of Romeo and Juliet. She glanced at the two, then at Daryl's approaching figure. "Trouble in Verona?"

He gave Cali her usual 'what the fuck' look before shaking his head. "Fuck if I know. Me an' Rick are takin' the kid out and leavin' him somewhere. 'Bout a two hour trip." He answered. Cali frowned.

"Wait, you're going with him?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"Whut?" Daryl asked, looking down at her. She crossed her arms.

"No way. You're not going."

"Th' fuck?"

"No offense, but Rick kind of has this habit of getting himself into situations that will most likely kill him, and everyone else in the immediate area. I think he might be a jinx. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out with him."

"A jinx?"

"I've got plenty of proof." Cali deadpanned. "I will fucking write a thesis on this subject."

"It'll be two hours." Daryl rolled his eyes. "'M gonna be fine, an' Rick ain't gonna kill me either. Figure tha's the important part."

"What?"

Daryl shook his head. "Ain't important." He repeated. "Be leavin' soon, be back soon."

"Gonna come back?" she asked. Daryl sent his eyes heavenward, and took a deep breath.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me. Ya still have ta ask?"

Cali shrugged. "It's a habit now, makes me feel better. So, you're coming back right?" she asked, holding out her pinky. Daryl only shook his head and wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Ya, I'm coming back."

"I know." She smiled. "I just like making you do this gay shit."

"God I fuckin' hate ya."

* * *

Beth rolled her eyes. "No way, you're totally wrong."

"What do you mean I'm wrong? Hello, I have so much evidence on my side." Cali argued. "Peeta was totally the better choice for her."

"Katniss needed Gale! She didn't need Peeta!"

"Obviously she did! I mean, she totally saved his life in the arena!"

"Yeah, only after they changed the rules to allow to Victors! Before that, she was planning ways to kill that little bastard." Beth argued. Cali rolled her eyes as she sat on the porch with Beth and Jimmy, just watching everything else happen. The men were loading up their truck, and everyone else was off doing something. Cali liked hanging out with the two of them, they were decently close to her age, and she liked having friends who weren't a half step above sociopath. It was a nice break.

"Because he set it up that way! Because he loved her enough to decide that she was the one who would be going home!"

"She didn't need his help for that!"

"Of course she didn't!" Cali nodded. "But he did it anyways. That's how you know he loved her. It was never a strategy, not for Peeta. And you know as well as I do that Gale would've played it like a strategy. Because that's all he and Katniss can do! They strategize! They only know how to play to win! They're hunters, that's all they do."

"Ain't you with a hunter?" Jimmy asked, finally joining the conversation. He didn't read the books, he didn't give two shits about Gale, Katniss or Peeta. He was just glad to see some life in Beth again.

"That's my point! Katniss doesn't use emotion to make decisions; Gale doesn't use emotions to make decisions. That's not love! That's a military degree with halfhearted sex thrown in occasionally. What Katniss needs is someone that thinks by feeling, not just with logic and reasoning."

"So…you're an emotional mess, and your boyfriend is an unfeeling strategy machine." Jimmy summed up. "That's what you're saying."

Cali blinked.

"The stunned silence is very reassuring." Beth smiled, and shook her head. Cali glared at them both. She looked at Jimmy.

"You no longer get to participate in book club. Understand?"

"Fine by me."

"And…" Cali looked at Beth. "Peeta wins, because love is not a mutual decisions. It's a feeling, and Gale doesn't have feelings. Not really."

"You know what I think, I think that Gale and Peeta should just ditch this whiney bitch, go fishing and have a beer." Jimmy muttered and Cali and Beth looked at him.

"Well, that was fucking brilliant."

"Randall got out!" T-Dog yelled, and Cali whirled around.

"What?" She asked as he got closer, and people began filing out of the house.

"Randall got out, I don't know how, but he did."

Lori turned on Cali. "Did you lock the door after you left."

"Yeah, of course I did." Cali answered. T-Dog nodded.

"I had to unlock it when I got there."

"Maybe he got out, locked it himself to throw everybody off." Patricia threw out there and every one froze. Cali shook her head again.

"I wouldn't forget. I locked the damn door, however he got out, it wasn't through there." Cali affirmed. Rick held up his hand.

"Doesn't matter how he got out, what matters is that he's out. We need to go find him. T-Dog, Hershel, get everyone else back out into the house. Daryl, Glenn, come with me." He ordered and the men instantly began following orders. Cali frowned and watched the three men, plus Shane head into the forest.

There was something wrong there. She knew she'd done the lock back up, and he'd been secure as he could've been while she had been dealing with him. There was no way he'd gotten out. Not because of her anyways.

_Something about this isn't right._ She growled as she followed everyone else into the house. One more glance up to the sky reminded her of the storm, and she frowned.

Irony was such a bitch.

* * *

**Thank yous!: **

**Playwithfire97: Yes! It appears I'm back on track!**

**xXKateRydelleXx: I did cry when they lost Dale :/ he's always been a favorite of mine, because he lived so long while still keeping his humanity!**

**SaraLostInes: Yes I know XD It's had a very very very long time coming. Dancing around each other gets tiring after a while!**

**Ninavs2: Long post was for all of you! AND SAM FUCKING WINCHESTER FER DAYZ!**

**Kathleensmiles: I am still sorry for making you wait this long!**

**But seriously, you totally haven't xD**

**Dude, if the AMC people don't market that vest jacket, they're losing a shit ton of profit. **

**Nia's not teasing anymore, now is she xD**

**Dale will always be missed. And fuck Shane for killing the best way to honor Dale!**

**LilianaKay2011: Hope you liked it!**

**Chemical-imbalance: Awh! That's all such high praise! Thank you kindly! And believe you me, I want Cali in the actual show as well! She's starting to become a split fucking personality. **

**Ah Supernatural is amazing, and I can't stop watching, no matter what. I hope the Supernatural one lives up to Walking Dead expectations!**

**And I gotta say, Dean's cute, but he doesn't have the puppy dog eyes!**

**Willow The Collie: I'm starting to like Andrea again, but I think it had more to do with how nice she was to Glenn in Better Angels then anything. She's slowly starting to repay her debt for shooting Daryl…kind of. **

**Lol pairings are impossible in a Walker infested world! Everyone you love just gets eaten XD**

**Yeah, you seriously want me to switch Carol out with Cali? I've sort of gone out of my way to make sure anything Cali does doesn't impact the season as a whole, but if the readers want it, then I'll do it. I miss Dale too :/ don't worry.**

**Nelle07: CAROL IS WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY TO MUTHAFUCKIN' CLOSE. I'm not digging it. Not at all. **

**Lucy Freebird: Well Lucy, what can I say? This Chapter's for you! You've only been asking for it since day one xD hope you enjoyed it!**

**Littleblonde12: Well! I'm glad I'm your first story :DD I was kind of pissed Daryl saved her too xD**

**Bloodrope: Computer is working, and the Muse is back :D and holy shit it totally was a Boondock moment! I was half expecting Connor to pop out and start praying xD thankyou!**

**Night-Weaver369: Your one shot is almost done! Just tweaking the wording a little bit! And thank you for the review! And hey, Andrea is slowly getting better…but Carol…no…not so much. **

**Ilovepotions: That is true, Merle was probably a freakin' Aryan nightmare! But Daryl's too cute, how could we hate him xD**

**RAINRAIN9: Thanks so much! :D**

**The-Flaming-Jackalope: Good think you lied XD and hey! Right now it's two AM for me XD Also, what kind of pajamas? I may just put Cali in them xD**

**Readergirl66: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Viktorskrumpet: Awh! I'm glad you liked it Vicky! You are always so kind! And I can't tell you how happy it made me to hear that even with my minor tweaks to his character, Daryl still seems like Daryl. I'm constantly worried that he's going to end up going cream puff in my hands or something, and then where would we be? Just awful!**

**You know what I thought was just weird in the show? NO ONE GAVE DARYL BACK HIS GUN! If I was him, I'd be flipping my shit constantly! I mean, it's a fucking gun!**

**And Supernatural rules. For sure. **

**: Yes, but computer is fixed, and now there's no reason to be mad :D I'm glad that the lack of the two episodes didn't really interrupt the story, because try as I might, I just could not make Cali fit into those two episodes. There just wasn't anything for her to do.**

**Ah yes, they got their one on one time XD about freaking time to. And you're right, I did think about cock blocking them once more XD**

**BootsJim: So, no Carol on the bike with Daryl? Because I try not to chance anything like that in the story, but if you guys would rather see Cali on the back, then I'll put Cali on the back. And thanks! Glad to be there!**

**Azalia Fox Kightling: Thank you! as always!**

**Sleepingthroughthestatic407: Well, I hope you enjoyed your fix!**

**BurnedOutCandle: Awh thank you so much! I'm glad Daryl is still in character! **

**Kitkat83: Hi! And yes! To be honest, I created Cali to be the anti-Mary Sue. I'm glad she's come across that way XD I'm glad Daryl still sounds like Daryl to you guys. That's quite a relief! And you want Cali to meet the Winchesters? XD Oh my, what sort of evil things did you have in mind?**

**TripleLLL: I'm back, and once I finish with this, LFF will continue! And I know! I can't believe it either. Did you know when I started this story, my goal for the whole thing was 100 reviews? xD crazy huh? And oh God, TWD meets SPN? What'd you have in mind? xD**

**NixyKnight: It's good to be back :D and that's awesome! Almost the entire last chapter is on my notes in my iPod xD and yes! Go Greek Mythology! I figured if Daryl had to like some kind of history, it would be the bloodiest one out there! xD**

**Witchbaby300: I know! Only one more chapter! And yeah, Carol's getting a little too creepy to handle…maybe another bitch fight is in order…**

**Silvereyed Queen: Yes! I figured if Reedus can blow a smoke ring, then in some roundabout way…Daryl can too xD**

**So my little Zombies, no Carol on the bike with Daryl? Because I try not to chance anything like that in the story, but if you guys would rather see Cali on the back, then I'll put Cali on the back. **

**Let me know!**

**-Eris**


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: HAPPY EASTER LITTLE ZOMBIES :DDDDDDD Hope you all got at least a little bit of candy from somewhere this morning! And yes! An update!**

***Fanfare***

**Now, for those of you who noticed the little completed mark up at the corner there of my little story, I have a perfectly good explanation. It's over, at least Blame It On Bad Luck is, and it's because we're rapidly growing in chapters and length, and I feel bad for any new readers who are going to pick it up. So, once season 3 starts (I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT FOR SEASON 3 TO STARTTTTTT) there will be a whole new story, with a whole new plot, but the same, Cursin' Cali that you all know and love!**

**Secondly, do not miss me too much! I've got plans to renew Landing Feet First, because I've figured out where they want to go now…although I can't seem to kill anyone anymore because somebody (Kathleensmiles) keeps getting angry every time someone dies. **

**And of course, Cali is also currently starring in a Supernatural Fic called Prelude To The End. Hope you check it out :D**

**And guess what! In here, I have a theory as to why Hershel was like the fucking Candyman of magic bullets with his stupid shotgun. It took several conversations with a Redneck for me to understand what he was saying, but I think we figured it out!**

**Oh, and in response to the Season Two Finale…T DOG DID NOT JUST SUGGEST THAT THEY GO TO THE COAST! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! AMC, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE! I'M BUSTIN' MY ASS COMING UP WITH THIS STUFF! I BETTER GET PAID OR SOMETHING!**

**Now finally, onto the end!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead, and in this chapter there is swearing, duh, violence, racism, blood, death and a bunch of other fun things. **

Chapter 27: Weep Little Lion Man, You're Not As Brave As You Were At The Start

The storm rolled, but it wasn't the clouds that gave way to the great force of nature. It wasn't the trees that bowed showing their submission to the power, and it wasn't the dust that was kicked into the air by its fury. The storm rolled and raged, and it all took place in the Greene's living room. Cali sat curled up as tight as she could in the corner, while Beth and Jimmy sat near her. They had tried putting on a card game, but it hadn't played out. Cali was on one hell of an edge, and Beth was picking up on the vibe. Something was wrong, every person in that room could feel it, but no one wanted to say anything, or try to break the uneasy silence.

They had been gone too long. All four of them. Randall was a bum kneed, underfed kid, and there was no way he knew the woods like the back of his hand. Not like Daryl did, and there was no way he could take down Rick, Shane, Daryl and Glenn…so what the hell was taking them so long. There was no way that Randall could've gotten far…and why would he run? He knew they weren't going to kill him right? Someone had to have told him…

She only swallowed again, and trailed her fingers along her aluminum bat, and prayed through her breathing. She hadn't really sat down and prayed for a while, so she was making sure that she was extra good about it right now. After all, she still had her hope. She still believed. This world had taken a lot from her, but she wasn't going to let it take this.

Finally, Andrea broke the silence. "I'm going after them."

"Don't." Lori immediately answered. "They could be anywhere, and if Randall comes back we're going to need you."

The screen door screeched the arrival of someone, and everyone's heads perked up like a group of Walkers who heard a noise. They all turned to the door and waited as Daryl walked in, and Glenn trailed behind him. They looked a little dirty, but no worse for the wear. Cali let out a breath she'd been choking on for the past twenty minutes as both her boys walked in. Alive, they were both alive. Daryl glanced around the room, and frowned. "Rick and Shane ain't back?"

"Nope."

"We hear' a shot."

"Maybe they found Randall?" Lori tossed out.

"We found him."

"He back in the shed?" Carol asked.

"He's a Walker." Daryl answered, and the room looked around at each other. He wasn't even gone a few hours. Cali swallowed hard, and prayed again that Dale wouldn't be just disgusted with how things turned out for him. They had tried; they seriously had, to give the kid a chance.

"Did you find the Walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

"Yeah see, the weird thing is…he wasn't bit." Glenn sadly informed the group of people. Daryl nodded.

"His neck was broke."

"So, he fought back?" Patricia asked. Daryl shook his head.

"See, th' thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks'r right on top of each other. An' Shane ain't no tracker. Didn't come up behind him. They were together."

_Okay, so Shane, plus Randall, plus broken neck…Christ. That bastard killed him. Anyone with half a brain cell could figure that out. _Cali's anger followed her realization.

"Okay, will out please go back out there and find Rick and Shane and find out what's going on?" Lori implored Daryl, and Cali face palmed. _Okay, maybe you need more than half a brain cell._

Daryl nodded. "You got it." Then, he turned and left the house. Cali rolled her eyes, and turned back towards Beth and Jimmy.

"So, another game?" She smiled, her fear relaxed…a little. Something still seemed to be stirring, and she really wasn't sure she wanted this storm to pass.

There was a slight gratification though. _Let's see how big a fan of 'Kill Now, Question Later' Shane is when he's the one on Trial by Camp Clueless._

Then, people started to gravitate towards the windows, and Cali and Beth got tired of sitting there, and they got up too, interested at what could possibly be so interesting. The two women pushed their way to the front, and froze.

That wasn't a hoard, no way. A hoard could be considered a hunting pack, or a migrating group. That, that was a mother fucking army, a mass of Death and Decay that only had one purpose, and that was to rip anything with a heartbeat alive apart, and destroy the evidence.

_Jenner looked up at them, a faraway look in his eyes. "This is our extinction event."_

"Jesus Christ." Cali whispered, and she couldn't look away. There were so many of them, and they were all headed this way.

"Patricia, get the lights." Hershel whispered, and the older woman immediately went off to complete the task.

"I'll get the guns." Andrea spoke before running inside, and for the first time in a long while, Cali couldn't agree with her more.

"Maybe they'll just pass by, like the herd on the highway. Should we just wait it out inside?" Glenn asked, his stomach obviously in his feet. Daryl shook his head.

"No' unless there's a tunnel downstairs tha' I don't know about. Herd that size'll rip th' house down."

"So, what do we do?" Cali asked, dropping the million dollar question. What she hadn't intended on was the way that her voice shook when she spoke, and was the first one in the small group to show fear. Damn it, that hadn't been the plan, but it was too late now. The fear had been invited in, and there was no stopping it.

No one answered, because honestly, no one had an answer. Run? Stay? Hide? Fight? There was not fucking handbook that told them what to do, so what the hell was she supposed to do? What were any of them supposed to do?

Lori ran back outside, frantic and crying. "Carl's gone!"

"What?"

"He's supposed to be upstairs and he wasn't there!"

"Maybe he's hiding?" Glenn offered.

"_He's supposed to be upstairs!_" Lori cried again, "I'm not leaving without my boy!" Cali cursed inwardly and scanned the farmland quickly.

_Why can't you just stay in the fucking house Carl!_

"Don't worry. We're gonna look, and we're gonna find him!" Carol reassured her friend, and pulled her back inside. Andrea passed the two of them on her way out, and dropped the gun bag on the floor. She started handing out the guns they did have, and even tossed one Cali's way. The younger woman accepted it with a nod, and checked the clip. 3 shots. Okay, even if they hurt like a bitch, she was sure the adrenaline that was already buzzing in her veins would allow her to power through that fucking kick, not to mention, she didn't intend on staying in on place long enough to need a gun.

Maggie grabbed a gun, and tossed it to Glenn, and grabbed another for herself. He looked shocked. "Maggie-"

"You grow up country, you learn a thing or two." She answered. Cali nodded.

"A-fucking-men to that."

"Check ou' th' numbers, it's no use." Daryl told them, eyes taking in the impending destruction, only a few hundred yards away. Cali couldn't tear her eyes from it too, and her fingers itched, but she shoved the gun in the back of her jeans, and waited for command so she could go retrieve her still-packed shit, and get the bat. She'd feel better just to have it in her hands.

"You can go if you want." Hershel told him, and Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"Ya gonn' take 'em all on?"

"We have guns." The old man loaded a shot gun. "And we have cars."

"We'll kill as many as we can." Andrea promised him. "Then we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm." Everyone nodded in agreement, and Daryl looked at the group of them with the look he usually saved for Cali.

"Ya serious?"

"This is my farm." Hershel said, as if that explained everything. And it did, Cali understood completely. Her family's plot of land back home was something she'd fight tooth and nail for too. It was embedded in her DNA. Something her father had said all the time, every morning before a harvest. 'Tueri terram protegit vobis'_ Protect the land that protects you._ "I'll die here." Hershel finished, challenging the Redneck to take it up with him. Daryl only shrugged.

"Alright." He looked back at Cali, and winked. "'S a good a night as any." He quipped before jumping over the railing of the porch and taking off.

"Alright." Andrea looked over at Cali. "Get the women inside going. Tell them to pack everything up, to grab food, to grab water. Anything you can get packed in less than ten minutes. Understand?"

"Got it."

"Think you can do it?"

Cali smirked in response. "Bitch please, this is what Walker Housewives do."

* * *

Can after can after can of whatever she could find got shoved into her bag. She wasn't even looking at labels at this point, and next to her Beth and Patricia worked away shoving their food into bags too. Food went in there, and Cali filled hers up the best she could while still being able to sprint, because if she couldn't get away with the food, it wouldn't do anyone any good, and dug under the sink for one of the first aid kits. She opened it up and shoved all the contents into her bag, and left the space consuming plastic case on the table. At last second, she ripped the old bandages off her hands and let them fall to the floor. She was afraid if she tried to shoot or something, those stupid things would fuck them up. Besides, her hands had pretty much healed.

"What else do we need?" Cali asked, staring at the still empty space in her bag.

"Got your clothes?"

"Yeah?"

"Did somebody get all the drugs?" Beth asked, and Cali nodded.

"Took care of it."

"Alright, we should be good then." Patricia decided. "Go run our bags, and the rest of theirs out to the cars and toss them in. We can pass them out at some point. Just in case."

"Alright." Cali went back to the living room, and grabbed Daryl's, Glenn's and Lori's family's bags, and opened the door to the farm, and looking into the yard. The Herd/Swarm/Deathtrap hadn't made its way towards the house just yet, so she sprinted to the nearest truck, and dumped all the shit in the back, and hauled ass back to the house.

She made these trips a couple more times, spreading the bags out into the different cars on the property. Finally, the bags were where they needed to go, and Cali was standing in the living room, death grip on her bat. She couldn't believe that Fate had actually sent them a 'Calm Before the Storm' moment, and it pissed her the fuck off. Her body wasn't made for anticipation. Either it was happening, or it wasn't. This waiting around bullshit was going to be the death of her. So she decided that she wouldn't wait. She walked up to the window, and saw Hershel standing there, and the first of the Walkers arrived on his property. He shot once, than twice, then three more times. Cali's jaw dropped, and the first wave of Walkers fell dead.

_Where'd he get that gun? A mother fucking wizard?_

"Look!" Patricia cried, coming up behind her. "The barn's on fire, it's drawing them in. Maybe Rick set it to distract them."

"Let's hope so." Cali murmured, and watched the building that had been the symbol of empty danger on the farm for so long catch fire and burn. It burned bright too. Old wood, and on hell of a dry winter had a way of working its magic with fire.

Lori bounded down the stairs, missing sets of three steps at a time. "I still can't find him!"

"Maybe he snuck outside!" Carol answered, just as panicked as the other woman. Lori whirled around and screamed.

"What do I do!"

"Maybe he just run off, looking for Rick, or maybe he went lookin' for Randall himself!"

"Maybe he set the fire!" Beth said. Cali nodded.

"That's probably it. Carl's smart, he'd know what to do." She assured Lori, who couldn't look more panicked, or scared, or fearful than she did right now. Cali needed to calm her down, after all, stress really wasn't good for a baby. "Carl doesn't stay in the fucking house, ever. We all know that, so he left, and he found Rick, because he always does. He finds Rick, or he finds Shane. And that's who's with him right now. Those two." She explained to Lori, and while it seemed to help a little, it still didn't take away the wild look in her eyes.

Cali gave one last look around the room, to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. "Where's Jimmy?"

"He left a bit ago. Went out to help." Beth explained, and Cali nodded. Alright, all her little ducks were in their rows. However, how she ended up being the fucking den mother of everyone under the age of twenty five was fucking beyond her.

* * *

"If we find him, he's gonna need his mother! We gotta go!" Carol's voice carried from inside, and Cali's muscles responded immediately. It got that bad, they were going to have to leave.

"Alright! Beth! Patricia! It's time to go!" Cali cried up the stairs as she started towards the door herself, and passed Carol on her way out. Carol placed her hand on the younger woman's back. "Head to that truck, right there." She pointed towards their car, and she nodded, and went to grab Lori. Cali would be hard pressed to admit it, but she was rather fond of her own little den mother, and she wanted Lori with her. Just in case.

"Hershel! Come on it's time to go!"

"Gandalf! You and the magic fuckin' gun need to go! Come on!" Cali screamed and grabbed Lori's wrist. Lori looked back at the girl and nodded, so Cali let go and headed off towards the truck they had specified.

Right before she got there, a Walker jumped into her path. It was a gnarly looking thing, whit a missing left eye, entire mouth exposed, and it stumbled because it's left foot was tangled in its loose intestines. _Oh fuck me. _Fear paralyzed the girl for a split second, before logic came smashing back into her body and Cali slammed her bat against the damn thing's head so hard, the crack that followed dropped the monster, and left Cali's hands feeling like she'd just swung the bat into a damn mailbox.

The bat was pained in red blood that now splattered Cali's body, but she didn't care. She'd lived. Fuck if she looked like one of them. She brought the bat down on the body a second time, and made sure she'd finished the job. Once brains and blood painted the grass around her, and the Walker didn't so much as stir, she'd allowed herself a second of elation.

"Oh Hell yes!" Cali smirked to herself as she hopped in the bed of the truck, and grabbed as many of the bags as she could. "And that is how the Walker Housewives do it!"

She turned when she heard the screaming and saw Patricia go down at the last second, and her happiness was short lived. "No!" She cried before she could stop herself, and a few of the stragglers took notice of her then. Damn it, they were coming here now, what the fuck was she supposed to do?

Then her eyes began to focus on the blue truck that had just pulled up. She saw Lori push Beth in, so Cali jumped out of the bed of the truck she was in, and called "T-Dog!" He made eye contact with her, and she was relieved because now, he'd wait another second or two. One more Walker stood in her way, this one moved fucking faster than it should, it was a newer Walker, and there was more skin on the damn thing than most, and this one looked human still. Cali kept her grip on the bat, and dared a glance at T-Dog, who was pointing furiously behind her. There were more coming. There wasn't any time for this moral shit. Not now. That thing in front of her was a dead fucker, who would kill her just as quick as the rest of them. Human looking or now.

Cali waited until it got a little closer, then slammed the bat into its head. The crack was as sickening as the one before, but the Walker didn't go down, it was just thrown to the side a little bit. It made sense a little too late. It was a New Walker, it was stronger than the rest.

"Fuck me!" Cali hissed and pulled out the gun. Her 'human morals' part of her brain screamed at her to stop. That was a sick kid.

_Kill it. Make it bleed, make it die, make it pay for challenging you._ Somewhere in her head a voice hissed, and Cali obeyed instantly and flicked off the safety, and shot the damn thing in the head. Twice.

The blood spatter from this was much worse than with the bat, and it pretty much soaked her hands in the Walker's blood. Cali tried to ignore it, along with the searing heat in her left hand, but she couldn't. Even as she tossed the bags into the bed of the truck, and pulled herself up into the bed as well, her bloody hands stole her attention.

Well, it was about time she'd joined that club.

Immediately, Walkers swarmed the truck, all of them trying to get into the cab, or at the exposed girl in the back. "Oh fuck oh fuck!" Cali snarled as she tried swinging away at them, but found that there were too many. T-Dog couldn't get through the swarm and Cali wasn't able to hide anywhere. Desperate, she climbed on top of the cab, and threw her arms towards the windshield, and grabbed on until her knuckles turned white. She lifted her feet up, and was felt tears stream down her face when she realized that the Walkers weren't grazing the fabric of her jeans or flannel anymore.

T-Dog slammed on the gas, and the car flew foreword, and Cali's body, and gravity, worked in junction to successfully throw her off the cab of the car, and slam down into the bed of it, while sliding into the tailgate for good measure. She choked as the wind was pushed from her lungs, but the important sense, touch, was in control when she realized all she felt was the wind in her hair, and there was nothing touching her. Not decayed fingers, or the gnashing sounds of teeth. Cali was alone, and safe, in the back of a car that was rapidly leaving the danger around the area. And she was safe.

Covered in blood, in the back of that truck, leaving what little was left of her humanity and innocence to be destroyed by Walkers and fire, Cali clasped her blood covered hands together and thanked God for making her a survivor.

* * *

Working slowly, Cali stretched out her limbs, muscles stiff from cowering in the corner of the truck bed as T-Dog flew away from the farm as fast as he could. She worked out every knot she could, knowing how fucking worthless it would be to survive that attack, only to die in another one.

She couldn't die, not yet. She'd made an unofficial promise, that probably didn't count, but the least Cali could try to do was keep it.

She worked through her legs, as she sat with her back to the cab of the truck. Once they'd gotten far enough away, Lori had opened the window, and they'd exchanged information rapid fire.

No, Cali hadn't seen where anyone else went.

Yes, Cali was fine, no injuries.

Yes, Cali still had her gun, and two bullets in the clip.

Then, the drive had been nothing but silent from then on. Everyone sat in their own vigil for the peace they'd thought they'd found. Served them right, Cali supposed, for believing something as impossibly as peace and safety, when this new world demanded vigilance and attention at every passing second. They all mourned something that was obviously lost. Lori her son, Beth her friend, T-Dog his contentment, and Cali her innocence. She'd gone fucking insane there, for a second, and it scared the fuck out of her. She'd lost control.

She didn't know who the fuck she was, but it had happened that way.

Finally, someone in the cab started stirring, and she turned her attention away from herself, and back to the others. Her family, people she cared about. "Hey, we gotta turn around." Lori told T-Dog as she cradled Beth in her arms. T-Dog looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Straight back to that herd? Uh-uh. No."

"The highway's back there, that's where they'll be. Rick'll go back to where we first broke down, Glenn too-"

"No, we're headed east. Head out to the coast. We should've done that from the jump."

"What the hell's at the coast?" Cali asked. "A bunch more Waterlogged Walkers and a Cruise ship? Give me a fucking break."

"And you know that how?" He growled. "Look we have a shot to get out of here in one piece!"

"I have to find Carl, he may have escaped with somebody!"

"And Daryl's alive." Cali spoke up again, getting to her knees so she could speak with the two easier.

"Look, I hate to say it, but they're on their own." T-Dog told the two. "There's no way to even begin to start looking-"

"You're wrong!" Lori choked out.

"They're at the highway!" Cali agreed with Lori. T-Dog shook his head.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we can't go back alright? It's suicide."

"Alright. Then let me out." Lori told him, as she opened her door. And Cali grabbed her bag and got ready to jump out with her. T-Dog jumped and slammed on the breaks. "You turn around! Or you let us out right now!"

"I should do it you know! I mean, how can you possibly know huh?" He looked from Lori to Cali. "How could you possibly know that they'll be there?"

Cali looked the man right in the eyes and smiled. "Because it's Daryl."

"T-Dog, please." Lori begged. He looked from Lori, to Beth, and back to Cali.

"You out of your damn minds!" He cried, but slightly nodded. Lori slammed her door shut again, and Cali let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. T-Dog turned around, and went off road, throwing Cali around in the bed of that truck, and she was a little sure it was on purpose. When they got back on the road, and she'd composed herself once more, Cali crawled over the little window.

"Thanks T."

"You're an idiot."

"Dully noted."

"You know," T-Dog met her eyes in the rear-view mirror. "You might put a little too much faith in the guy. He's not a God you know."

"I know." Cali answered, flattening her arms against the edge of the truck bed and she rested her head on them. "He's a Titan. That's different."

* * *

When the forest thinned out, and the road took over the scenery once more, Cali finally allowed her body to relax. They got closer to the meeting point, and she, Beth and Lori were practically pressed against the windshield. "Do you see anyone?" Cali asked, and the roar of another car answered her as she saw Maggie's car ahead of them.

Her grin could've split her face. "Glenn's okay! He's okay!"

"Maggie too!" Beth smiled through her tears, and Lori and T-Dog smiled too. The closer they got to the meeting point, the more excited everyone was. Finally, T-Dog pulled in next to Maggie's car, and Cali jumped out of the trunk immediately. She scanned first, and felt a little like crying with each face she saw.

Carl, Rick, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Hershel, and Daryl.

All safe. All back where they were supposed to be.

She tried hard, she really did, but when she saw the dusty blood covered Redneck, she really couldn't help herself; she went as fast as her body would allow her, and threw her arms around his neck. "You fucking bastard!" She mumbled into his neck, and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Tha's all ya gotta say?"

"Shut up." She answered. "I'm trying to be happy you're alive. Don't ruin it by talking."

"Ya cryin'?" He asked, her body trembling against his. Cali snorted, but they both knew that he could feel the water on her face just as much as she could.

"Don't flatter yourself, my body's just wore out. I had a run in with gravity and a tailgate."

"Stupid Bitch." He swore at her, but eventually, his arms wrapped around her as well, and she could feel him breathe out a sigh of relief. That was probably the closest she was ever going to get to hear him say he was worried, and she would take it. After all, she back here, and he was back. And that had to fucking mean the universe was apologizing for being such a dick. After a while, Cali finally released the hunter from her grasp, and he grabbed her face in his hands, and checked her out.

She was bloody, but when he raised an eyebrow at it, she only shrugged. "Not mine."

"How many?"

"Two." She answered simply, and he nodded. There was something a little off about her. It might've been the eyes; they seemed just slightly different than they usually were. Her eyes were harder than they had been the day before.

"Kick ass?"

"Of course." She smiled up at him, and he gave a half smile back before he pressed his lips briefly against her forehead. He released her then, and she smiled once more and went back to the cluster of people and ran towards Glenn and practically knocking him over hugging him. He hugged her back.

"Thank God." He muttered and Cali nodded.

"I didn't fucking see you anywhere! Do you know how fucking scary that was!" She asked as she pulled away and punched him in the arm. He growled and looked back at her.

"What the hell!"

"Don't do that again!"

"What!"

"Scare me like that! Don't you fucking do it again!"

Glenn looked shocked. "What the hell! You didn't hit Daryl!"

Cali threw her arms in the air. "It would be pointless to hit Daryl! Daryl's definitely going to scare the fuck out of me again, hitting him would be a waste of energy! You though, you won't ever be doing that to me again! Understand?"

Glenn only rolled his eyes, and brought Cali back into the familiar circle of his arms, and she hugged him back. She wasn't kidding in the slightest. When she hadn't caught sight of him, in those fleeting seconds on the farm. She'd been terrified.

She let Glenn go then, after decided she'd been punished enough, and she looked around until her eyes landed on the next person she'd been desperate to see. He caught her eyes too, and he came up and hugged her before she could start yelling at him. So, Cali dropped down to her knees and pulled Carl in for a real hug. "You scared the everliving shi-ships out of me. Don't you ever do that again!"

"But-"

"Don't even give me one of those. Next time someone tells you to stay in the house, will you please, for the love of everything holy and healthy in this world, STAY IN THE HOUSE!" She ordered him, and he rolled his eyes under his hat, but gave her a nod. Cali shook her head. "Oh that is so not good enough." She held her pinky out to the little boy, but he scoffed at it.

"No way. But I will shake on it." He told her, and spat in his hand, then held it out to her. Cali rubbed her temples.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"It's the most honorable promise I have." He told her, and she rolled her eyes and spat in her hand, then the two of them shook on it. Once Carl let go of her hand, she wiped it on her blood spattered jeans with a grimace, and Carl took in her state. "You look gross."

"Kill a couple Walkers and tell me you don't."

"I did." Carl spat back. Cali smirked.

"Well, obviously I was closer to mine." Carl only rolled his eyes at her response.

"Cali, that's not a good thing. Don't be proud of that."

* * *

Rick smiled, and looked around, then at Glenn. "How'd you find everybody?"

Daryl smirked. "Fucker's got his taillight zig-zaggin' 'cross th' road. Figured a driver tha' bad had to be Asian." Cali rolled her eyes from where she sat on the ground next to him, and he nudged her back with his foot. She nonchalantly flipped him off, and he winked at her again.

Glenn rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Good one."

"Where's th' rest of us?" Daryl asked. Rick sighed.

"We're the only ones who've made it so far." Rick admitted and Cali looked around. They couldn't be all that was left.

Lori stood up, and looked around. "Shane?"

Rick only shook his head in response, and Lori gasped. Cali was shocked too, Shane was untouchable. He just was, and he was tough as shit. She couldn't believe they'd lost him…but then again, they'd never faced something of that magnitude before.

Glenn frowned, and looked around himself. "Andrea?"

"She saved me, then I lost her." Carol told the group, and T-Dog spoke from where he still stood with his blue truck.

"We saw her go down."

"Patricia?"

"They got her too," Beth's quiet voice spoke. "They grabbed her…I was holding onto her Daddy, they took her right from me." She sniffed and turned away. "What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?"

"He was in the RV…it got overrun." Rick explained, and Cali felt her stomach riot against her. Fuck, not Jimmy. She liked Jimmy, and Jimmy loved Beth, who needed all the love she could get. She was still lost and afraid…and now? Another chunk of her had been stripped away.

Carol sighed, and addressed the group. "You definitely saw Andrea?"

"There were Walkers everywhere." Lori answered.

"But did you see her?"

No one answered, and Cali tried wracking her brain, because she knew that her and Andrea had been in the same area, but she couldn't remember seeing the blonde woman at all. Daryl listened to the silence and shook his head. "I'm goin' back."

"No." Rick immediately shot him down.

"We can' just leave her."

"She isn't there, she isn't. She's either somewhere else, or she's dead. There's no way to find her." Rick explained.

"We're not even going to look for her?" Glenn asked. Rick nodded.

"We can't stay here. There's Walkers crawling all over the place."

"I say we head east." T-Dog said.

"Stay off th' main roads." Daryl told the group as the Hipster Walker stumbled towards them, blood painting his argyle sweater. "Bigger th' road, more assholes like this'n. I got him." One arrow later, the Hipster Walker lay dead.

"Load up people, let's get out of here." Rick ordered as he grabbed the supplies off the car that had been intended for Sophia, and tossed them into his truck. Cali got up, and Beth came over to her, and wrapped her arms around her, and Cali held onto her friend.

"Wanna ride with us?" Beth asked, her eyes swimming in unshed tears. Cali smiled and nodded, then looked over to Daryl, who eyed her, then Beth, and then saw the Glenn was getting into that car with the Gang Greene Gang, and he nodded. She smiled, and then followed Beth into the car. Once they were in, and Cali found a way to position herself for sleep that she was going to force herself into if she had too, Cali looked up at the passenger seat and spoke.

"Hey Hershel?"

"Yes?"

"Your shot gun…is it like blessed by the patron saint of magic bullets or something?" To her surprise, Hershel gave her a small smile.

"Actually, I do believe I have your Hunter friend to thank for that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I do believe he's the only one who would know to successfully modify a shotgun to hold that many rounds…not matter how illegal that matter is."

Cali rolled her eyes skyward, and sighed. "Really?"

"I believe so."

"Yeah." Glenn nodded from the driver's seat. "When we brought the guns back to camp, he sat there and taught Rick and Shane how to modify them before he went to sulk off by himself."

"It's scary, the shit he knows."

"Oh yeah." Glenn agreed immediately. "Can modify a gun, but can't seem to call me by my name. Genius that one."

* * *

Later, somewhere in between a dream filled with blood, and listening to the conversation between Glenn, Hershel, and Maggie, Cali heard a car horn slice through both realities, and it severed her tie to the dream, as she sat up, waking Beth up in the process. The blonde girl looked out the window. "Why'd we stop?"

"Dunno." Glenn answered. "Let's go find out."

Cali pushed open her door, and stretched out her back until she heard the pop, and the feeling of rushing head to the knot between her shoulder blades. Next place they stopped to lay their weary heads had better have a hot tub, or she'd be pissed.

She looked up to see everyone had congregated around the edge of the road, so she headed over there and started massaging her left wrist on the way over. That searing heat had faded into a dull ache, and now the throbbing was back, but she didn't really regret it. Fuck a sore wrist; breathing was a little higher up on that list.

Rick came running up to the group, and Daryl leaned back on his bike. "You out?"

"Runnin' on fumes." He answered. Maggie looked around and shuddered.

"We can't stay here."

"But we can't all fit in one car either." Glenn told her.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." Rick told them. Carol got off of Daryl's bike, and stared at him.

"Spend the night here?"

"I'm freezing." Carl mentioned, and Cali had to agree with the kid. Winter here apparently wasn't any more mild than in Wyoming. And if that were true, then they were going to have a serious problem headed their way come the cold season. She wrapped Daryl's old flannel around her tighter, and frowned. Spending the night here didn't sound desirable. At all.

"We'll build a fire. Okay?" Lori told him, and Daryl nodded.

"I'll go git som' firewood. Stay close, I only go' so many arrows. How ya doin' on ammo?" he directed towards Rick.

"Not enough." The leader answered.

"Well, we can't jus' sit here with our asses hanging out." Maggie said, and Cali nodded.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Young lady watch your mouth." Hershel ordered her. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."

Rick nodded, and faced the group. "Alright, we'll set up a perimeter. Build a fire, gather up some supplies, and we'll be gone by morning."

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas?" Maggie suggest, and Rick held up his hand and slowly brought it down.

"No, we're gonna stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now." Glenn told him, and Rick took a deep breath.

"I know it looks bad, and we've been through Hell and worse but at least we found each other! I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did. We're together, we keep it that way." He looked at everyone's unhopeful faces and sighed. "We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place."

Glenn second guessed himself a few times, before he spoke up. "Rick, look around. There's Walkers everywhere. They're like, migrating or something."

"There's got to be a place, not just where we hold up, but we-we fortify! Hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other! I know it's out there, we just have to find it!" His voice dipped again, reaching that strange sexy pitch that only happened when he was in an extreme of an emotion.

Right then, Cali decided that she spent much too much time with these people.

"Even if we find a place, and we think it's safe. We can never be sure…for how long…look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe." Maggie told him. Hershel looked sadly towards his daughter, and shook his head.

"We won't make that mistake again."

Rick looked around the area, and pointed out an area that didn't look like much but a cheap Georgian replica of Stonehenge to Cali, but hey, if Rick thought it would work, then it probably would. Everyone moved to check it out, and Cali watched Carol lean towards Daryl. "Does this feel right to you."

He answered her with a raised eyebrow, and she looked confused. Cali shook her head, and sighed. He didn't really use words to talk, so why would he start now. Jesus, Carol had known him longer than she had known him, you think she would've picked up on that.

"What if another herd comes through here, or another group migrates?" Beth asked, and Daryl nodded at that.

"Ya know how I found Randall right? He turned, but he wudden't bit."

"How's that possible?" Beth asked him.

Lori followed her up. "What the hell happened?"

_Give him five minutes to fucking breathe people._ Cali ordered Camp Clueless mentally, hoping they'd pick up on the vibes. Rick was tired as hell, lost his best friend, and honestly, the guy just needed a beer. Cali knew the pickings were slim, but sometimes she believed that the last thing Rick wanted was to lead this group of people, and if that were the case, then he definitely didn't want to be the new fucking Confucius. He didn't have every Goddamn answer for them.

"Shane killed Randall." Daryl answered for Rick. "Jus' like he always wanted to."

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked. Rick looked hard at each and every one of the people in the group before he spoke again, and this time, his voice was soft.

"We're all infected."

Cali let out a small huff of a laugh, and sat down on the barrier on the side of the road. No way, that wasn't possible. You can't get infected if you haven't been bit. That's just logic…all logic dictated that. And, although a lot of rules had changed, that logic didn't. If anything, the changed rules solidified it.

"Whut?" Daryl asked, sounding about as convinced as Cali did.

"Jenner told me. At the CDC, he told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

California swallowed that about the same way she'd swallow a mouthful of cotton. No, no, no. That couldn't be true, because if that were true, that would mean the damn thing was airborne. And that could not happen, that could not be the end game. She wouldn't fucking let it be the end game.

All that running, screaming and fighting. All the pain and anguish, and none of it mattered in the end. The killer was already in the house.

"And you didn't tell us?" Carol demanded, and Rick shrugged.

"It wouldn't have made a difference."

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn asked, Rick held up his hand.

"How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy that mother fucker was."

"That was not your call!" Glenn snarled, and Cali was surprised by the amount of malice in his voice. "Okay? When I found out about the Walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."

"Well, I thought it best if people didn't know." Rick's gaze locked on the Asians, and a power struggle was instantly put into play. Rick was practiacally challenging Glenn to speak out against him. Lines were being drawn in the pines, and Cali shook her head. She knew what was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Daryl turned away from the group, and loaded his last arrow into the cross bow. He walked over to barrier, and looked at Cali whose face was twisted in thought. "Whut?"

"I should've majored in Bio or something." She muttered. "History's too much like seeing the future." Daryl only lifted an eyebrow, and threw his leg over the side of the barrier. "Are we all sick then?"

He froze on the other side, and then slowly ran a hand across his face. "I don't fuckin' know anymore Nia."

Cali nodded, and popped her wrist, the crack sending a rush up her arm, and allowing her to start work on the problem area. "So, can I get an opinion then?"

"Sure."

"Does that make us monsters? Like them?" She barely whispered the words, but he heard her. Cali didn't want to think like that, but it was all that was occupying her mind right then. If they had this disease then…weren't they the fucking larva stage of Walkers? Destined to become them. They had no say in the matter, they were going to become monsters.

Like a fucking puppy who gets infected with rabies. Going to be rabid, not matter how fucking harmless it is right then.

Daryl sighed, and shook his head. "We ain't monsters. Can't think like tha'. Yer a fuckin' nerd, ya know Lord Of The Flies?" Cali nodded. "They were fine, but they got all fucked when they stopped trustin' each other. Then they was monsters. Just can' let it get there. Ge' it?" He asked, and Cali did, in a weird way. Yeah, they needed their fucking Conch Shell still, and they couldn't let it go.

"Yeah I got it." She told him, and he nodded, and started heading towards the woods. The past twenty four hours rushed through her head and she frowed. "Daryl!"

"Ya don' even gotta say it. I'll be righ' back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

It had been a while since she'd sat in front of a Campfire, and Cali was a little shocked by what had changed around it. A lot less people and a lot more sadness warmed itself by the fire now. She wrapped her arms around herself better, and drew her knees up to her chest. Daryl came up behind her, and dropped a few more stick into the wood pile, before sitting down next to her, and tossing an arm around her shoulders. She wouldn't lie, he was much warmer than she was, and it helped immensely. She leaned into him slightly, and just watched the fire burn. That was apparently the activity for the night, as everyone drowned in the silence that had overcome them since they learned that they were all Deathbringers.

"Ya know, we're not safe with him." Carol whispered over to Daryl, and Cali tried really hard not to look over. She was just going to continue to stare at the fire, and pretend everything that was happening wasn't. "Keeping something like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just going to pull you down?"

_Pretend this isn't happening._

"Naw." Daryl answered her, as he stroked the fire. "Rick's done all right by me."

"You're his henchman." Carol told him. "And I'm a burden. We deserve better."

"You deserve to get smacked." Cali hissed under her breath as she watched the fire burn. Stupid woman was going to ruin what precarious peace that had going right now.

"Whudd'ya want?" Daryl asked her, and Carol looked up at him with wide eyes.

"A man of honor."

Okay, now the bitch was making a pass at Daryl. The other shit Cali was willing to chalk up to group mentality, but that? Fuck no. That was not happening.

Especially if Carol was planning to use him as her piece in this upcoming power play.

Cali sat up a little straighter, and pulled her hair to one side of her neck. One, the fire was hot, and two, the exposed skin was the side where her fucking midnight purple hickie was splayed, and Carol's eyes caught a glimpse of it, before Cali shook her hair back into place.

Sure, marking territory was a bit savage and prehistoric, but hey, like Cali's favorite cousin always used to say, if you can't beat them, fight back harder.

Daryl looked down at the abandoned mother and shook his head. "Rick has honor."

Cali went back to the fire, when she heard Maggie muttering about taking off on their own. Oh Cali wanted to rip out her hair and fucking scream at all of these people. How could they not see what they were doing? It was blatantly obvious to her, but it couldn't be just her could it? How could all these people with so much more life experience not see what she did? How could they be this stupid and have survived this long?

A rustle in the bushes brought back today's fear and paranoia, and Cali's body instantly tensed, and everyone shot up. "What was that?" Beth asked. Daryl grabbed the crossbow and peered into the woods.

"Could've been a whole bunch'a things. Could've been a raccoon, possum-"

"Walker?" Rick asked as he entered where the fire was, and oblivious to the looks of the people.

"We need to leave! I mean, what are we waiting for?" Maggie asked. Glenn grabbed her hand and tried to calm her down.

"Which way?" He asked, and she pointed outward.

"It came from over there."

"Can I got with you?" Beth asked, and Maggie nodded.

"Yeah."

Rick shook his head. "The last thing we need is people running off into the dark. We use vehicles, no one travels on foot."

"Don't panic." Hershel told his daughters. Maggie sighed.

"I'm not, I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, now."

"No one is going anywhere!" Rick told the group, and Cali slid her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Do something." Carol told him, and Rick turned on her.

"I am doin' something! I'm keeping this group alive! I've been doing that all along, I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people for Christssake!"

Cali couldn't believe that, sure she knew Rick and Shane had problems, but she didn't believe that Rick could have killed him. That was too…cold, too cruel for Rick. And that's who that man up there still was! It was Rick, and Rick did everything for them, it just didn't seem possible, Rick couldn't do it. He was a good man, he was their protector, their Shepherd.

It just wasn't possible.

"You saw what he was like." Rick told them. "How he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, lead me out to put a bullet in my back! He gave me no choice! He was my friend, but he came after me! My hands are clean." Rick declared over his son's muffled cries. "Maybe you people are better off without me, go ahead. I say there's another place for us, but maybe, maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe I'm fooling myself again, well, why don't you go and find out yourself?" He asked, and pointed out into the darkness of the woods. "Send me a postcard! Go on, there's the door! You can do better? Let's see how far you get!"

The only person in their group who could even hope to survive out in the woods, alone, would be Daryl, and Rick knew that. Cali shook her head as another power play was brought to the table. _Dale, we need you here, and we need you now. This is wrong, so wrong, and things will not be getting better. Dale, please._

"No takers? Fine. But let's get one thing straight. If you're staying, this is no longer a democracy."

Cali wanted to laugh. She couldn't fucking believe it. That was it right there, end game and final nail in an already sealed coffin. It was over now, for all of them. Because, even though there were fucking flesh eating monsters in every dark shadow, these people were still acting like people, and they were still making the same mistakes.

She couldn't even count how many Kings fell this way. It was a simple fucking formula. King gets power, starts good. People love King. King fucks up once, people get pissy. King gets scared by pissy people, King brings down the fucking hand of God upon them. People get back up, dust themselves off, and they fucking revolt.

If she remembered correctly, it usually ends with countless deaths on both sides, and the King and his family lying under a blade as their heads get fucking chopped off.

And no one else saw it happening.

There was just no way this was happening. Cali dropped her head in her hands and tried to break out into hysterical laughing, or crying. This was beyond everything they had dealt with before. They were fighting each other now, and no one was safe, and everyone was an enemy.

Jenner was wrong, she decided, about everything. The Walkers weren't the problem, in fact, they were never the problem. They were not the extinction event.

It was fucking people.

God, this way beyond bad luck at this point, because, no matter what happens around them, people make their own messes, and destroy their own lives. Or, more popularly, they fuck up everyone else around them. People love pain, and Misery loves company.

People won't be fixed.

Smackdown.

Revolt.

War.

End game.

* * *

**xXKateRydelleXx: I still mourn Dale, as I think his presence would have made everything in the finale much easier to handle, but nooooo everyone jumped on the fucking crazy train!**

**It's alright to cheer for Shane's death. It was high time!**

**I would freakin' love to own that jacket. No joke!**

**Thanks for the review**

**SaraLostInes: Of course! Sex or not, Cali and Daryl can't function without annoying the shit out of each other.**

**If Carol touches him, I can at least promise you here, that Cali will beat her down so hard, Ed will be impressed. **

**Yes, that was a terrible thing to say, I know. **

**Thanks!**

**Witchbaby300: XD Daryl wasn't gonna fuck a girl if he didn't know her last name. That whole, Southern Charm thing xD plus, if their sex wasn't like them, then it wasn't good smut, so it to be hot, but still balanced with annoyance, and pain, and a love that hurts as much as it helps. Because that's who they are. **

**Thanks for the review!**

**DFC: XD Why thank you! I'm glad you liked it xD**

**Willow!: I'm so glad you're back! And I miss the Walking Dead :/ I sat in front of my TV and wanted to see them play with Zombie Jesus. **

**Well, here's the final episode! It's long as hell, and really pretty dark xD and did I get bonus points for mentioning the cheat? :D**

**Janeg: Why thank you! Glad to know it went over well!**

**Night-Weaver369: THANK YOU! :D And yes, I do enjoy the Hunger Games, and I thought the movie was pretty awesome as well! Sorry about the typo xD I usually type these things in one sitting, and after about seven hours….some of the words blur. Anyways, your One-Shot is ready, and I'll upload it tomorrow! Sorry it took so long!**

**Kathleensmiles:**

**Well…Lori has that effect on people, but for some reason, Cali seems to like her.**

**I'm glad the smex went over well :D**

**I think Jimmy was sweet…but that was natural selection right there….**

**So, did Cali disappoint? Or did she do a good job?**

**And okay! I won't kill Dale in LFF…shit woman, you're pretty much left me with no one to kill…**

**BurnedOutCandle: Why thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the Hunger Games thing! I can't look at a bow and arrow without thinking of Daryl, so xD it popped up. Did this work for you? :D **

**CayChaotic: I'll kind of miss Shane…in a…'We need on crazy fuck to hog all the crazy from the rest of us' kinda way. I know, they needed to hook up xD and yes! LFF is coming back soon! And I love you too xD**

**Jasmin: Thank you for sharing your husband with Cali ;)**

**Sleepingthroughthestatic407: Why thank you for the high praise! I'm glad that you like it! And do tell me what you thought of this chapter, it ran long, and there were soooo many emotions to cover, lol. I'm a bit worried. **

**Summerlover01: Oh I don't even know how I survived without Supernatural XD and I didn't switch them out dear! Hope you enjoyed!**

**TripleLLL: I'm glad that you like my fucked up sense of humor xD awh, I'm sorry! Feel better! I'm glad the sex scene worked for them! Camp Dinner Bell xD I fucking love that. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked it!**

**Kitkat83: I was rereading the fic to get ready for the finale chapter, and I realized I had never given out Nia's last name xD but I've had it in my head since day one, and I figured that would be a cute little way to throw that in there. **

**Merle and the Governor! :O Epic.**

**And I loved your idea about Cali and Winchesters, so I made it happen xD it's on my page now, called Prelude To The End!**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Biffy: HAhahahahaha that was my favorite part :D Nia's a bitch, and Daryl kind of hates her, that's just them. In a nutshell xD Thanks for the review!**

**Shadowelf144: Why thank you very much!**

**Nelle07: I know right! If it's not Walkers, it's the damn cock-block monster xD Thanks for the reviews!**

**Ilovepotions: yeah! And no one told Daryl about it? He's probably freaking the fuck out, I mean, that was his gun damnit! Ah! I called Hershel out on his magic shotgun xD Thanks for the review!**

**Crystal Vice: Dean would make a fucking perfect Finnick. We must make that happen.**

**Midterms are a bitch. Here's hoping you did well!**

**Awh thanks for the review!**

**Chemical-imbalance: Awh, GED and a give'em hell attitude makes me smile everytime xD thanks for the review! And, I think Cas has beat Sam out as my favorite xD**

**The-Flaming-Jackalope:**

**Hahahah! The Daryl-Plague is contagious! Like the Walker disease apparently, except instead of flesh, you just crave Norman Reedus' hot body :D**

**Boondock Saints is amazing. My first story on this site is a Boondock Saints fic :D **

**YOU MUSTER UP THAT SHIT TON OF SWAGGER AND YOU WRITE DAMNIT! WRITE LIKE THE WIND!**

**Cali will end up in those pajamas. **

**And yeah, I knew about Reedus as Judas…I actually have a fic for that too xD Called King With No Crown. **

**Lucy Freebird: CONGRATS ON GETTING ENGAGED! I'm so happy for you Lucy :DDD and yes, I'm glad you liked the smut xD you have been the one pushing it since day one xD did you get to see Hunger Games yet? Thanks for the review!**

**Azalia Fox Knightling: I went with your idea, and I like the way it came out! Thanks!**

**Randfan07: :D Your review made me so happy! No joke, and seriously, I love that you put in that much time and effort for my review, it's just amazing! Thank you so much, and I'm so glad you're liking the fic and that you've stuck with us for so long! Me and Cali appreciate it, you have no idea!**

**J: Done and done :D**

**Vicky!: Yay for sexytimes! Awh, thanks for the kinds words! I was very unconfident with that piece, and I'm glad it worked! Half naked Daryl rocks…it's…fantastic XD**

**And decent into madness…we had plenty of that there xD Thanks Vicky! For everything!**

**Weibchen: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!**

**Ace Hodges: Ah! Thank you for not calling Cali a Mary-Sue! And hell yeah Daryl's a mother fucking Boondock Saint! :D That's the whole reason why I started watching TWD in the first place! I'm glad you liked the story and I cannot wait for the prison scene!**

**MyMissingHalo: Oh Halo, never apologize for your reviews! You have no idea how much I love them, and how amazed I am that you're willing to sit down and write out something so long, it just warms my heart! Thank you for all you've done! And seriously, AMC better start forking over some cash, or I'll be PISSED.**

**My-Edward-1992: We'll see if that comes back to haunt him ;) and yes! Peeta all the way!**

**Captain ArseBag: Here you go!**

**Lorelai: I considered sticking Cali with Andrea and having them both be lost…but I was afraid I'd get lynched by the rest of my readers xD**

**Willow the Collie: :D Willow, happy birthday! **

**I love the Hunger Games! And the movie was awesome!**

**I'm glad you loved the chapter, and I purposely left Cali's last name out so I could use it then xD I'm so bad. **

**Fuck Shane, I miss Randall!**

**Oh Collie, thank you for all your lovely reviews! Coming back to Landing Feet First? :D**

**Once again everyone, thank you for all the reivews! And I'll have Landing Feet First up again soon, but I'll see you when season three starts with an all new fic!**

**Love you my Little Zombies!**

**-Eris**


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